Meet Jessica Taft Langdon of The Palatines

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Taft Langdon.

Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I worked for other brands as a footwear designer & product developer for years, and never really thought about the idea of starting my own business. I really love the process of working with factories and collaborating, and for most of my career, I did that on behalf of huge companies – so it never really occurred to me that there would ever be a way for me to have access to that kind of global sourcing network.

However, around 2009, I started to get quite interested in the idea of domestic manufacturing. at the time, there really weren’t any brands that were making shoes in the united states, and I thought that might be something that could be changed.

Serendipitously, life brought an opportunity to my husband and I to move to Los Angeles, from NYC. I’d heard that there were some smaller factories in the area, but didn’t have any contacts. Once I got here, I really just started by asking around, calling up some factories, and starting to meet people, and see what capabilities were out there.

By the time I finally got around to starting to make samples, about a year later, I really knew a lot about what the local factories were good at – which is high quality, traditionally made footwear. So, I built my collection around that idea.

The first season or two that I did were very small – I partnered with a now-defunct store in Los Feliz, called Weltenbuerger. It was a great way for me to test the water, and get feedback from customers. After that, I launched the brand on its own… Started selling to other stores, as well as on the website, and now it’s been about four years! It’s gone so quickly, and I still feel like it’s a really new brand!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think the biggest struggles were the early ones – learning how to handle domestic manufacturing is a totally different thing, compared to working with large overseas factories, who take care of a lot of the details. Starting to work with factories here in the US, I became responsible for sourcing much more of the shoe, personally than I had had to in the past. it was tricky, but it taught me a lot about shoemaking. I have a very technical education in footwear, so I was surprised to find how much I didn’t know.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about the palatines – what should we know?
I think I’m most proud of being a totally independent designer, whose product is ethically made. I am intimately involved in 100% of the processes that go on in this business, even if they’re not being handled by me. I have had small loans from friends and family, but basically, the business is self-funded, which is a difficult thing to do with a fashion business.

As a result, it’s meant that the development of the brand has been slow and steady -I haven’t been able to invest in strong marketing or pr campaigns to get the word out about the shoes. which means that the clients who have responded and supported us found us on their own, and really appreciate the shoes for what they are, rather than for being attached to a specific trend or celebrity.

Mostly we’re known for sandals, but I’m really happy that we’re starting have a strong response to other types of styles. I didn’t grow up in California, so it’s a little bit funny to me to be known as a California brand that is really specific to summer styles! I grew up on the east coast wearing lots of shoes and boots, so I love those types of shoes as much as I do our really easy sandals. I’m happy that clients have found us for spring, but are starting to stick around for fall shoes too!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Almost all my friends deserve a thank you for supporting me, and the brand, but the biggest assistance has come from family – Both my husband and mother are extremely supportive of the business, and they both donate pro-bono work frequently. I wouldn’t be able to have done this without them.

On the other side, I always like to make a big point about mentioning the small, family-owned factories that I work with – I’ve been very well taken care of by the factories that I work with here in la, and I definitely think of them as business partners more than vendors. I rely heavily on their expertise in manufacturing.

Even though I’m a designer who has a pretty clear vision of how each shoe could be made, I’m not the ones who will be making them, at the end of the day. So, it’s really important and meaningful to me to work in collaboration with the people who make the shoes, to make sure that the quality is as high as it can be.

Contact Info:

• Website: thepalatinesshoes.com
• Email: info@thepalatinesshoes.com
• Instagram: @thepalatines
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePalatines/

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