Launching a shoe line in the middle of a pandemic—when most people’s day-to-day footwear was a pair of slippers—might not be your typical business approach, but Marina Larroudé isn’t your typical businesswoman. The Brazilian-born creative built her career in the fashion world as an editor whose job revolved around writing about and styling the latest trends—not dreaming them up.

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After getting her start at Brazilian Vogue, Larroudé moved to New York City, where she landed at Style.com by chance (and a bit of strategizing). “I saw an invite in my [apartment] lobby for a Christian Dior show, and it was labeled for Candy Pratts Price,” Larroudé tells Observer. “I had no idea who she was, but I googled her and discovered that she was the fashion director at Style.com, so I sent her flowers, my resume [and] a cover letter.” Months later, Price invited her to the office for an interview. “I was offered a freelance spot for a two-week job, and I ended up staying for 10 years.” Larroudé climbed the ranks at Style.com to fashion director, and eventually left to join the Teen Vogue team as the fashion and accessories director, before Barneys came calling.

“I interviewed for that job for six months, and it was a dream come true when I got it,” Larroudé says. She was brought on as the famed New York department store’s fashion director, and for the next nearly three years, Larroudé was involved in everything from product development and marketing to designer discovery, until Barneys announced its closing at the........

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