Let’s start from the beginning! Tell us a little about the journey that led you to where you are now.

I’ve been a fashion designer for 26 years, working across everything from large corporate retail companies in Southern California to small, independently owned contemporary brands. In 2020, as the fashion industry paused during the pandemic, I had the gift of time to reflect and decided I would say yes to opportunities that aligned with my interests and creative instincts. I decided to try making shoes and said yes to my first interior design client. I had also been working on and restoring historic homes for about 10 years at that point, documenting the process on Instagram, which ultimately became its own part of the story and trajectory.

I started by making a few styles of slippers in Italy and, by saying yes to each next step and continually jumping off the mini cliffs of whatever came next, slowly grew a small business of my own. Eventually, that meant leaving my day job and fully committing to this new path. I continued developing the shoe line and, drawing on my long background in clothing and denim, decided to expand into those categories as well. Things have been moving quickly ever since!

From fashion to interiors, you wear many different creative hats. How has each chapter influenced the way you think about design and ultimately shaped the Jamie Haller brand?

I think the thing that has stayed with me over time is that when I trust my own design intuition, I tend to end up exactly where I’m meant to be. Each chapter has brought its own learning curve and deepened my understanding of how to do things, and that knowledge has ultimately shaped my ability to take my own brand into deeper territory with confidence.

Your first three footwear styles — the Jutti Slipper, Penny Loafer, and Ballet Slipper — all have very specific inspirations rooted in tradition, yet each feels unmistakably yours. How do you approach honoring the history of a silhouette while making it feel personal and modern?

They all come from deeply personal, yet very different, places in my story. I’ve always been drawn to anything slipper-adjacent. I grew up barefoot in the driveway in Southern California and have always loved the feeling of having almost nothing on my feet. I was the girl digging through market stalls in India searching for the perfect Indian jutti slipper, which ultimately inspired my first shoe. I wore that original pair for 15 years, until they finally fell apart and I couldn’t find anything to replace them. It was that deep sense of missing them that made me think I should remake the shoe, to recreate something that made me feel whole again.

As I explored that idea, I also wanted to create a version of a slipper that reflected my love of ’70s men’s shoes from Italy. I admired their beauty and craftsmanship, but they never quite fit my feet. That led to the ballet, which was also a true nod to my habit of buying actual Capezio ballet shoes and wearing them as everyday outdoor shoes for years. Clearly, that wasn’t quite the answer. The original plan was simply to make three slippers. From that very personal starting point, everything else began to grow.

How would you define the perfect wardrobe staple — and how does that philosophy guide the pieces you create, from shoes to accessories and clothing?

A perfect jean. Always the thing you need, always the one you grab, something to dress up or dress down. It’s the piece of life.

Tell us what a typical day-in-the-life looks like for you.

As a mother of two, a wife, a CEO, and a person navigating all of those roles at once, life is always in flux. It’s chaotic, and there often never feels like enough: not enough sleep, bandwidth, attention, or availability. But in very literal terms, my days usually start with waking up, coffee, getting a kid to drop-off, and heading to the office, with more coffee along the way. I get in around 7:30 a.m., which gives me about an hour of quiet before the day really begins. Some days I’ll work out in the gym at my office for an hour, and then I’m off and running, moving between what feels like 1,000 things until I leave around 6:30 p.m.

When I get home, thankfully, my husband is incredibly supportive during this particularly intense chapter and is often making dinner, though sometimes I’m the one cooking. We get a little family time, put the kids to bed, and maybe watch a show together. He goes to bed, and I’ll often work until midnight or 1 a.m. It sounds intense, and it is, but it’s the honest truth. Running a company while also showing up as a wife and mother is no joke.

How do you seek to incorporate balance through it all?

Not very well, honestly. I try to find quiet moments wherever I can, whether that’s early in the morning, late at night, a gym appointment just for me, or even a quiet coffee stop. I take a lot of deep breaths and try to reconnect with my grounded self through my breath. Sometimes I’ll simply sit in silence and let everything else fall away for a moment.

On the weekends, I try to focus my time on my family and be as present as possible. And when I can, I treat myself. A nice hotel, a massage, or a night out with girlfriends can be incredibly refreshing to re-establish myself.

What does leadership mean to you, and what advice would you offer other women entrepreneurs carving their own path?

You have to work harder than anyone else and it’s the hard work that will take you to that next level.

Looking ahead, what’s next for you and your brand? What impact are you most proud of, and where do you hope to grow?

There are so many things on the horizon, it’s impossible to know. I am so proud of my team, of my growth and of the fact that I was right to trust myself – I know amazing things are coming, because I can feel it.

Go-to outfit formula for the summer?

Tee shirt, balloon pant, button up, and sandals.

Your coffee or tea order?

AM – coffee with cream. PM – cortado with oat milk or ice coffee with a cream top.

Forever favorite Jamie Haller piece?

Penny Loafers, of course. But Ballet Slippers are a strong second.

One product that’s always in your bag?

I’m not a big product carrier. But I love a facial moisturizer, something that really adds a layer of what feels like nurturing for my skin.

Best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?

Do what you love and the money will follow.