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Press
The Oregonian: Sizing Up a Big Need
There's no polite way to put it: Kathryn Kerrigan has big feet.
The 6-foot-tall former basketball player at Lake Forest College in Illinois struggled to find size 11 shoes, so she decided to make her own. Her "fashion-forward but not over the top" shoes cost $118-$220 in specialty boutiques and online at www.kathrynkerrigan.com. Kerrigan, 27, was named female entrepreneur under 30 by inc.com this year. She'll be at Consigning Women in Lake Oswego today and Saturday.
For more information, call 503-697-1636.
Q&A:
Her footwear is made in Italy for the quality
Q: Is there a big need for big shoes?
A: In 1987, 11 percent of all women wore above a size 9, and in 2000 it was 37 percent wearing a size 9 or above. No one knows. Some have attributed it to playing sports. Our No. 1 focus and goal is to cater to (big sizes) ... but now about 70% of our sales are size 6 through 9.
Q: Without any experience in shoe design, where did you start?
A: I spent about a year in Italy with the craftsmen, learning the trade. Shoe design is not like clothing. You are really restricted ... to a heavy plastic mold ... and the shape of the toe and the heel height.
Q: Why Italy instead of China?
A: About 80 percent of footwear is made in China. But I don't love the shoes that are coming out of Asia. A lot didn't fit my foot well. They have a synthetic pleather lining, and the foot doesn't breathe well. Our shoes have a genuine leather lining. Our customers say they feel like slippers. If I'm going to put my name out there, I want something I can be proud of.
- Vivian McInerny
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