9 African-American Shoe Designers You Should Know

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Candra Palmer

Unlike most designers, Candra Palmer didn’t spend her youth sketching and daydreaming about her own label.   She was into computers and after graduating from Xavier University with a degree in information systems she landed a job with Intel.  Through a program exposing her to various aspects of the company she discovered a knack for sales and marketing.  When they moved her to Los Angeles she decided to explore this new interest through fashion.  During off hours she networked and interned throughout the design community, before leaving Intel in 2004.  By day she continued working with fashion companies to expand her knowledge base; by night she designed Artyce, custom, special occasion footwear for herself, friends and eventually paying customers.   In 2006 the business moved into a space of its own, yielding a five-fold increase in sales.  Within three years revenue approached $700k.

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