Of Irish/Mexican decent, Calleen Cordero's passion forfootwear was ignited at the age of fifteen whenshe began working in a high-end boutique in Northern California as a sales assistant. By the age of sixteenCordero was traveling to Europe. Next she moved into Marketing and Sales, helping to create markets for thefootwear lines of several well-known American designers.In 2001, Cordero finally decided to bring her own talentfor design into the limelight.
The result of the endeavor has been a blending of Cordero'sown down to earth flair with a love of the finest qualityand high fashion. "After years of immersion in the industry,I was ready to create a new kind of shoe, the kind of shoethat I myself was looking to wear, but could never find"says the designer. "I've always been impressed by the utilityand authenticity of good handmade footwear. At the sametime, the level of artistry and finesse employed by Italianshoe makers has always turned my head. I wanted torevive and reinvent that tradition of old world craftsmanshipand attention to detail. I strive to wed comfort, authenticityand beauty, and deliver luxury in every sense of the word."
Handmade in North Hollywood, California, her glamorouslycasual designs feature handsculpted wooden bottoms and hand molded leather soles. Cordero's work also displays alove of combining the unexpected. "I'm inspired by the material themselves." she states. "I've been designing my own leather in Italy, and let the inherent beauty of the leather dictate the direction that my designs will take."In the last two years her limited production collections havefound their way onto the feet of such celebrities as SherylCrow, Michelle Pfeiffer, Renee Zelleweger, Kelly Preston, Goldie Hawn and the Olsen Twins.
