By Jessica L. Dupree
This past weekend Rogers Pearson launched one of the fashion world’s most luxurious, cutting edge and high-end footwear and accessory brands. Boasting bold and stylish designs for both men and women fashion insiders are calling Rogers Pearson the new Louis Vuitton as their global impact and influence continues to rise. Owners Anje Collins and Brian Pearson call the brand a silent luxury experience while customers flaunt their Rogers Pearson shoes and accessories on the red carpets in Hollywood and while traveling in style in vacation abroad – like models on the runway.
The duo created Rogers Pearson out of love, passion, and desire. On the red carpet of the brand’s epic launch, Heart & Soul caught up with co-founder Anje Collins who shared her personal story of evolving from fast fashion to partnering with Pearson to create a high-end, luxury brand – it’s a story of pivoting, persistence, and power.
“Most people don’t know that I’m a former publicist that has a love for shoes. In 2019 I fell and broke my ankle, so I had a lot of time to think about what I want to do, and I knew that I didn’t want to do PR for grown people anymore. I actually created a line and then we went into the pandemic, so I pivoted to fast fashion which is my original line Coco Blues Shoes. I found I didn’t like fast fashion because you have to compete against the Fashion Nova’s and all those shoes that drop like $15 dollars. So, In July of last year I shut down and sat down and thought about what I really wanted to do, which was design shoes and that’s kind of how Rogers Pearson got found.” Collins tells Heart & Soul.
The powerhouse duo both found themselves in interesting spaces that challenged how they would show up in fashion both personally and professionally. A lover of stilettos, even after breaking her ankle Collins realized that she still wanted to be up there and looking cute. My heels are interesting just because I broke my ankle, and I can’t wear stiletto anymore so I was like okay what kind of heels can I create that are stylish without looking like grandma with kitten heels. That’s kind of how I base the heels of my designs. And as a size 14 in men’s shoes, Pearson had his own set of problems often growing weary of trying to find shoes that fit. “As they came in, something I liked, they were gone,” Pearson recalls.
The two brought their brilliant minds together and came up with the answer to the problems they had in their search for fashion. And in doing so, they quickly realized that they were the answer not only to their unique needs but the needs of a diverse group of fashion lovers that continue to demand diversity, originality, and uniqueness in the high-fashion market.
On the red carpet, Collins shared how the name Rogers Pearson came about as well as peculiar details about the shoe’s make up and designs. Her incredible mind and eye for shoes and accessories is what her business counterpart applauds her for.
“The name came because his last name was Pearson and my maiden name was Rogers, and we just thought it sounded really cool together. With my love of shoes, I pay attention to details like fabrics and styles, so I wanted to make sure that when I did these designs that fabrics was key, comfort is key, all shoes have a Nike insole on the inside so therefore you can walk, run, sprint and your feet won’t hurt,” she explains.
Today the Rogers Pearson brand continues to emerge globally in the high-end, luxury fashion market with new, one-of-a-kind selections. “The Revenge Boot, if you ever paid attention to the rivet boot, there’s only so many of those made so they will be one of a kind to somebody. So, you don’t have to worry about you walking down the street and somebody having your exact same shoe on,” co-founded Anje Collins explains.
Rogers Pearson continues to consistently deliver exceptionally stylish, well finished luxury to global consumers in high fashion. For more information, visit www.rogerspearson.com.
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