Amina Muaddi is a Jordanian-Romanian fashion designer and shoemaker who spells success a bit differently from the rest of us. The 34-year-old went from being a fashion designer to a social media influencer and then started a beautiful journey with shoes that would make Cinderella toss aside her glass slipper. Muaddi spent her childhood in Romania and followed her fashion dreams all the way to the European Institute of Design in Milan. She kickstarted her career by working in esteemed publications like Vogue Italy, L’Uomo Vogue, and then for GQ in New York. We are keen on mapping her journey from working at Vogue to being on its cover. She strutted her way to success in stilettos, and her story is truly inspiring-
Amina’s first job was at Vogue-
A 9-year-old Amina asked her mum how she could work for a fashion magazine. This dream turned into fruition as after an internship at Bridal Vogue, Muaddi landed her first job as a fashion assistant at L’Uomo Vogue. She shared in an interview with the Business of Fashion (BOF), “I was worried about how I would be able to grow in the industry. I think the fact that I had a lot of passion and determination helped me, but my studies and, most importantly my thesis also helped. I made the first-ever issue of Vogue Romania as my graduation thesis, with photoshoots, editorials, art direction. I put all my heart into that project, and that was what got me my first job.”
The opening of the Oscar Tiye brand-
Muaddi’s interest in shoes wasn’t just a burning passion of a girl in the fashion industry. It was backed by knowledge, training, and more than 5 years of experience at her jobs and then to the Italian shoe capital. She learned the nuances of the shoe business along with the technicalities of the trade at Riviera del Brenta, a metropolitan city of Venice. She worked and trained with artisans and suppliers of Italy’s historical shoe-making district.
In 2013, Amina Muaddi and Irina Curutz launched the Italian luxury label Oscar Tiye in Milan. The brand wasn’t successful and nothing close to what was coming her way. At the time, Muaddi described being in the business as “a jungle,” requiring a “thick skin in order to navigate it, especially as a young woman.” Oscar Tiye’s most significant success was the Minnie Mouse Stiletto with mouse-ear details on the back of the heel. They ranged from $450-$700.
The Amina Muaddi brand was an unforeseen gush of glamour-
Between managing a lukewarm enterprise Oscar Tiye, and moving to Paris to work with Alexandre Vauthier as a designer on his footwear line Amina mechanized her own plan. The perseverance paid, and Muaddi launched her eponymous label in 2018- Amina Muaddi. She announced the launch of her second label with a post that read,’ I have been working hard on this project for about a year now, and I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love for work. I hope you like @aminamuaddiofficial as much as I do, and I wish you enjoy wearing it as much as I enjoyed creating it for you, amazing women of today.’
Amina Muaddi sold party shoes like hot cakes even during the pandemic-
This is no small feat, especially when the feet have nowhere to go! For those thinking only masks and medicines did well during the Covid-19 pandemic, Muaddi was busy selling $800 party shoes. She launched her capsule collection for MyTheresa in March 2020, when the world was flustered, terrified, and facing the pandemic’s peak. No matter the deterrents like low consumer sentiment, Amina Muaddi’s crystal-embellished sandals sold out within hours of the launch, and that’s remained unchanged.
From $5 million net worth in 2017, the girl with the glitzy heels was worth double in 2022- a whopping $10 million. Her prized possessions include homes in Romania, Milan, and Paris and an arsenal of cool cars such as Range Rover, Porsche, Mitsubishi, and a few more.
What made the Amina Muaddi footwear brand a successful anomaly?
Amina’s success cannot be https://www.instagram.com/p/CXb4ssnNbHu/?hl=en credited to celebrities or bored-at-home, affluent shoppers of the pandemic period alone. As Retailbum points out, Muaddi’s unusual visual aesthetic combined with her marketing contributed to her success. Muaddi enjoys and regularly connects with her Instagram following of nearly 1.2 million and has never dabbled in paid advertising, shared the portal. The 34-year-old designer is taking it slow and building the hype around her label. Instead of going all out, she limits herself to developing two collections in a year. The thriving designer has featured on magazine covers of Vogue Arabia, GQ Middle East, and L’Officiel Turkiye.
Celebrities and crystals galore:
With star-power by your side, it’s tough to ignore success, and Muaddi welcomed it with open arms. Bigwigs of the music world like Beyoncé, and Dua Lipa made Amina Muaddi their go-to footwear brand. Even the Kardashians gave the brand their approval as Kendall Jenner, and Kim Kardashian have been spotted sporting the glistening, crystal-clad heels on more occasions than one. Rihanna is a big fan of Amina Muaddi, who frequently flaunts the designer shoes and has collaborated with Muaddi on footwear for her Fenty label.
Today, the Amina Muaddi brand is stocked at 70 retailers globally and has clocked $22.2 million in sale over the past 12 months. Among the stand-out stores worldwide are revered names like Selfridges, Harrods, and Antonioli in Milan. She has recently expanded into stylish mini-bags, cutely dubbed ‘aminis’ and statement earrings.
