Back in late 2018, a lifetime ago in fashion, a radical shift happened in footwear. Square-toed clunkers — sandals defined by exaggerated, spatula-like soles that jutted out from under the foot and pumps with bulbous stubbed toes — were shown in Daniel Lee’s first collection for Bottega Veneta.
At first sight, the shoes were hideous. Within months, they were on the feet of nearly every celebrity, editor, influencer and luxury V.I.C. in the land. Retailers like Vince Camuto and Shein promptly issued dupes of the popular Lido sandal, a simple slide in a blown-up interpretation of Bottega’s signature intrecciato woven leather. Lyst declared them the “hottest shoes in the world” in 2019.
“It’s funny what you can make people wear in fashion if it’s done the right way,” said Nina Christen, the Swiss shoe designer responsible for the Lido.
Ms. Christen’s distinctive touch has quite literally been all over some of the most influential shoe design trickling down from luxury houses for the better part of the last decade. She has worked for Phoebe Philo at Celine, Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen at the Row and Mr. Lee at Bottega Veneta. Last month, Mr. Anderson hired Ms. Christen as the design director of shoes at Christian Dior. It’s one of the biggest jobs in fashion right now, and she is balancing it with a moonlighting gig, too.
Last year, Ms. Christen introduced Christen, her own independent shoe brand. The first pure expression of her design identity came partly out of frustration. The shoes she designed for other brands were her taste, her take, she said, “but they were never 100 percent myself.” Opportunity arose when she met Paul Dupuy, an entrepreneur and a founder of Zoi, a health-tech company in the longevity space.
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