Former creative director for Caleres Richard Gelber and his wife Cynthia Gelber have been working throughout the pandemic to make a long-held dream come true. On January 21, the couple launched Cynthia Richard, a collection of women’s footwear.
Crafted from leather in Brazil and Italy, the line of flats, heels, boots, and sneakers is replete with feminine details and embellishments, from crystals and ruffles, to strappy closures, and refreshing pops of color. “Your shoes reflect your personality and allow you to feel as though you’re wearing a unique extension of yourself,” says Gelber in a statement. “We offer shoes that fit with the woman you are at the moment, and the woman you want to be the next time you visit your closet.”
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We talked with Gelber about the new line, the challenges of starting a business during the pandemic, and the upside to working with family.
You are not new to the shoe industry. Tell us a little bit about your background.
I grew up in the shoe business. My dad had shoe stores, so shoes are part of our family’s history. I worked for Caleres for almost 30 years. I launched Carlos Santana for Caleres in 2001; I designed and ran the brand. I also launched Fergie Footwear. Eventually, I became creative director for all brands of the company.
After 35 years in the shoe business, why did you decide to launch a label now?
My wife’s dream was to start a shoe label and go out on her own. I guess you could say that this was a good time to fulfill our dreams. The timing worked out because when Caleres didn’t resign the Carlos Santana label, I left the company. I’d been traveling for work all my life, so I took some time off and a few years ago we started this project. It’s had some delays because of COVID and factory issues, but we’re glad the launch is finally here.
Cynthia Richard is a true family business. Your wife, Cynthia, is instrumental in the design process and your daughters, Katelyn, Megan and Matti are involved in sales, marketing and styling. What’s it like to work so closely with family?
Working with family is a lot of fun. Having the same passion for what we’re doing and working toward a common goal is really special. It’s been great to spend time with my wife and girls. When I was at Caleres, I traveled a lot so I wasn’t around much. I was the fun dad that was around on weekends! So you could say I’m making up for lost time. This new business takes a lot of our time and we’re around each other a lot, but it’s been a wonderful experience.
How would you describe the shoe collection?
The design philosophy is to make the line pretty and feminine, but not in your face. We grew up telling our daughters to make their style effortless, encouraging the idea that style comes from confidence and knowing who you are.
Are you based in St. Louis?
We design our products in St. Louis and work with Trinity 12, a warehouse company in Fenton that helps with shipping, distribution, and the website. Most of our production is based in Brazil and Italy. I have friends and partners there. A lot of shoe manufacturing is based in China, but we wanted to keep production closer to home to be more nimble.
Who is your consumer?
She’s anywhere from 25 and older and not necessarily professional. She just wants to feel good about herself and her outfit—she wants to feel special. We’re catering to someone who wants timeless fashion, but with embellishments to make their fashion even more special. Maybe with jewels, hardware, textures, or color.
Where can people buy your shoes?
Right now, we’re direct-to-consumer through our website, cynthiarichard.com. With the direction retail is going, we thought we’d adopt this model from the start. Eventually, though, we’d like to be in some retailers, whether it be online or brick-and-mortar stores. We’re also working to open a boutique within a store here in St. Louis.
Any advice for aspiring business owners?
It all comes down to treating people as you want to be treated—treating people with respect.
