Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s shoe collection was inspired by female founders

The Rosie Inc. founder is now stepping into shoe design with her GIA/RHW collection

Those who follow multi-hyphenate Rosie Huntington Whiteley know that she truly encapsulates her brand, which defined largely by her impeccable personal style which she shares regularly with her followers. The model has amassed a huge social media following of 12.2 million followers, and more than 200,000 subscribers on her YouTube, and her content filled website RosieInc. to go along with it.

Rosie has an unique approach to her brand, in that she doesn’t overshare and she is inspired by the army of women she has around her. On her various platforms shares her routines, knowledge on products, and her love for makeup brands and new techniques she is trying, and usually she talks about the women who she has learned these from. Rosie has positioned herself not as an influencer, but as a taste maker, and her following proves this approach is hugely effective.

“I’m always inspired by female founders, and there’s been a few over the years that I get very excited about meeting and working alongside.”

With just a few scrolls through her Instagram, you can see why many are flocking to her platform for outfit inspiration; she nails the office appropriate minimalist-chic aesthetic that so many are trying to recreate, and it is no surprise that her collection with Gia Couture embodies that style.

“I first came across the brands probably about 18 months ago, and I was just really drawn to the quality of the materials that Gia Couture uses, and then as I learned more about craftsmanship and Barbara Borghini’s work… I became really inspired by the brand as a female-founded brand,” Huntington-Whiteley explained to Harper’s Bazaar.

The collection features four styles, which includes a flat and heeled sandals, which draw inspiration from nature and incorporate minimal design aspects such as hand braided leather, and radical wood details. The line is available for pre-order on Gia’s website.

When asked more about the partnership, the model elaborated, “I’d never designed shoes before, and so I was really excited about the challenge and the potential of launching a collection… I think it’s been interesting because most of the design process, well, all of the design process, I should say, not most of it, has taken place over Zoom. I think for any creative in this time of the pandemic, where we’re doing all of our work over Zoom, it can often stump creativity and it can be frustrating to not be in a room with people and to be able to feel fabrics and materials together, and to see them on the body or in real life. But nonetheless, it’s been a great experience working with the team.”

Rosie added that she was greatly inspired by the women around her, “ I would say at this time, right now through COVID, I’ve been particularly inspired by female founders. I think this has been a really challenging time for many small business owners and the way that people have had to pivot their businesses so dramatically to happening virtually and everything being done over Zoom. I know that it’s certainly been the case for myself—to see the challenges that many businesses have had to overcome. Also for many female founders, this has been just a really, really tragic time for them as business owners. So I’m always inspired by female founders, and there’s been a few over the years that I get very excited about meeting and working alongside. Barbara has been a real inspiration to me through the process. There’s always a lot to learn. I look forward to hopefully going to dinner with Barbara at some point this summer and actually being able to really talk and learn from her and hear more about her story. Right now, we kind of get on these Zoom meetings, and it’s just straight to business.”