Meet Valérie Bédard, the woman behind the new footwear collection now available at Dynamite. Ambitious, determined, and passionate, she’s full of inspiration which allows our customers to get their hands on some of the most gorgeous shoes. In between two pairs of shoes, we caught up with Valérie to ask her a few questions.
How would you describe your love of shoes?
I always had a lot of shoes and I loved fashion, so my love and passion for shoes were present since the very beginning. I always spent my paychecks on shoes because, in my opinion, it’s the shoes that change everything! You can wear jeans and a t-shirt, and it’ll be the shoes that make all the difference! Plus, I have to say that I spend a huge part of my life looking at the ground… as I like to say, “I make shoe contact before eye contact!”
A day in your shoes, what’s that like?
You don’t ever have a typical day at Groupe Dynamite. My days are always different and they’re always full of surprises! That’s what makes my job fun and challenging. There are a lot of communications to create concerning prices, adjustments, quality, etc. I always have to ensure that everything goes as planned for an impeccable final result. There’s also a lot of research to be done on trends to make sure that we’re heading in the right direction!
So far, what are you most proud of?
The fact that I was able to remain authentic throughout the entire creation process. This is such a strong passion for me and you can see that in the way I speak about the new footwear collection.
What did you enjoy most while creating this collection?
What was fun about all this was that the collection was a new project. I got the chance to touch a bunch of different areas and work together with all departments, which allowed our team to become truly cross-functional.
And where do you get your inspiration for shoe styles?
Almost everywhere and at all times. On the street, in the metro, while travelling, on Instagram, anywhere!
- Designers that inspire me: Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Isabel Marant and Christian Louboutin.
- Bloggers/Instagram accounts that inspire me: @whowhatwear, @weworewat, @lara_stone, @women_with_style and @footwearnews.
When it comes to your personal shoe collection...
- How many pairs of shoes do you own? Oh my god, I have so many! I must have at least a hundred, but I wear maybe just ten pairs. I don’t want to throw them out because they might come back into style, or because they’re really just too nice!
- Are you more sneakers or high heels? At work, I’m definitely more of a high-heels girl, but if you see me on weekends, I’m always in sneakers!
- In your opinion, what are some closet staples? I think every girl should have a pair of sneakers. Otherwise, a sure-fire staple would be basic shoes, like black pumps. Booties and over-the-knee boots are also very useful pieces to have in your closet!
