For Mary Alice Malone's luxury footwear brand, Malone Souliers, making shoes the "hard way" is what has set the company apart since its inception in 2014.  Launched in London, Malone Souliers has become a sought-after brand due to its extremely high level of craftsmanship. Malone got her experience as a shoemaker at the famous Cordwainers shoemaking school in East London. After graduating, she began her journey of building a footwear company that has since evolved into a premium brand.  Though Malone Souliers does sell an assortment of footwear, including sneakers and flats, its signature style is a high heel named Maureen. When Malone created the now-bestselling shoe in 2015, she knew the intentional design and engineering would win over consumers. After some hesitation from buyers due to the unique silhouette, Maureen debuted as part of Malone Souliers' spring-summer 2015 collection and became a hero product.  "Creating the Maureen was a feat of engineering. It is a really supportive shoe, and it's beautiful," Malone said on the latest episode of The Glossy Podcast. "Trying to get people to buy Maureen took a bit of convincing, at first. But then she had her arrival moment, and it's never been the same." Now that Malone Souliers has established itself in the industry, its founder is looking at the bigger picture. Aside from building up the brand's e-commerce site, she recently expanded it to new product categories and new international markets. "I think of [Malone Soulier] as a lightweight boxer. ... It's important to be able to move, adjust and take an opportunity where you see it," Malone said. 

In 2005, Jennifer Meyer decided to take a leap and bet on herself. Though Meyer had no previous experience in design, her dream was to become a jewelry designer. With support from her family, she learned how to create jewelry and eventually launched a company. "I wanted to design pieces that I wanted to wear and that I knew my friends wanted to wear," Meyers said on the latest episode of The Glossy Podcast. "I wanted classic, beautiful, everyday pieces that would be in your jewelry box forever and that you could layer or keep on, and that you could live in."  Fast forward, and Meyer is now the founder of her 17-year-old namesake jewelry line, which has since expanded into new categories, including fragrance. And she collaborated with Canadian luxury outerwear brand Moose Knuckles to create an 18-piece collection, in 2021. In Oct. 2018, Meyer opened her brand's first physical retail location in L.A.'s Palisades Village shopping center.  In terms of next steps, the core of Meyer's company will always be fine jewelry design, but she is looking forward to further expanding into fragrance and exploring the home category. "We'll see where that all takes me," she added.