Barefoot Tess Steps Forward With New Private Label

Online, August 2, 2010 (Newswire.com) - BALTIMORE, MD (August 2, 2010) -- Barefoot Tess, the online shoe retailer that specializes in women's sizes 11-15, has released a new line geared specially toward its younger, more style-conscious clientele. The label 'by Barefoot Tess' will feature signature flats in both scrunch and structured varieties, as well as styles created exclusively for the store by acclaimed designers, including All Black and Faryl Robin. These also reflect a consciousness of the current economic climate and a reaction to the ways in which shopping habits have changed over the past year.

"Girls still want to shop, and they don't want to sacrifice being on the cutting edge -- but where customers might have been willing to drop $300 or even $400 on shoes without batting an eye a few years ago, they're now expecting that same level of quality and trend-awareness with a price tag under $200," said Barefoot Tess CEO Karen Williamson, who co-founded Barefoot Tess with her size-11 daughter, Tess Russell, who lent her name to both the company and the new collection.

The two imprints on the new label are B.F.T. for Barefoot Tess and TESS by Barefoot Tess. B.F.T. by Barefoot Tess is designed with consumers that have trendy styles on their mind, first and foremost. Every shoe in the collection is a wearable, versatile "must-have" that are affordably priced from $29-$69. TESS by Barefoot Tess is a high-end collection of the most impeccably- designed shoes made from the most luxurious materials. The shoes in this line exemplify attention to detail, quality and high-style, priced at $79-$179.

"We decided to call this the 'TESS' line because these are the shoes that twenty- something girls like me want to wear," explained Russell. "Our first forays into designing our own styles were not quite as contemporary, not quite as urban - we were really just responding to a need for classic pumps and the like - but over the past year or so, we've really had a chance to hone our design eye, and I'm truly proud to have my name attached to these shoes."