Today we’d like to introduce you to Charla Tedrick.
Hi Charla, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Since childhood, I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer. Coming from a small town in Central California, this was definitely not the typical career choice — not practical, not realistic, maybe not even possible, in fact I knew absolutely no one in “real life” who actually had a job like that. But I loved to draw clothes and costumes and loved to pretend I had my own brand, my own store and my own staff.
I went to college in Southern California and pursued a fashion design major where I started learning about the big wide world of the fashion industry and how many jobs and different paths there were to choose from within it. When I found the alternative fashion subculture my path was clear. These were brands inspired by tattoo culture, rock n’ roll, and all the different styles that lie within that niche lifestyle I participated in. It was a relatively small niche market, everyone seemed to know each other and it was kind of a big scene blending all the things I loved in my life with my passion for fashion. This looked different than what I had always perceived the fashion industry to be and I was enamored.
My first job was with a small mom and pop rock n’ roll company in Santa Ana, CA. It was grass roots, manufacturing locally with in house graphic designers, sales reps and an attached warehouse with a couple big guys shipping out boxes everyday. It was humble and organic and it was exactly what I wanted to build for myself someday. I absorbed every ounce of information and experience I could from that first job and kept it all close as I moved into other roles in other cities through the coming decade. To date, I’ve worked in the fashion industry for 20 years. From that small mom and pop rock n’ roll apparel company I tried different roles in different product categories, shifting into something new every couple years. I was exploring what the industry had to offer, exploring life in different cities and collecting all these experiences unsure of where the winding path would ultimately lead but excited to find out.
Through the years, I got to work on nearly every product category imaginable, designing products that sold in big retailers such as Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Hot Topic, and eventually landing me in New York City working with Betsey Johnson on 7th Avenue, A couple years at Sanrio Inc. (home of Hello Kitty) gave me global brand experience, followed by several years with online alternative fashion retailer Dolls Kill in San Francisco, where I built a new in-house design program designing and producing our own apparel, shoes and bags. Every experience was absolutely critical to where I’ve eventually landed. Every shift I made in my career was new and exciting while also compounding my past experience, ultimately giving me a very thorough and big picture understanding of taking an idea from pen and paper to retailer and end consumer.
Whether I loved every minute of these various experiences is a different story, but in hindsight I can see how every single stop I made in my career was pivotal. Throughout the years learning the ropes, the desire to have “my own brand” remained quietly on the shelf in my mind, waiting and listening; taking notes, making plans and plotting. In 2016, with the support and encouragement of my fiance (now husband) I ripped off the bandaid. I left my high paying stable salary design job to start my own brand. I decided to focus on shoes, where I had spend the last few years and had really fallen in love. Shoes were different than all the other categories I’d worked in. Shoes were special. They brought a different excitement to people. They were a functional, wearable product but also a collectible. They didn’t have to be practical, which made the design possibilities endless. I decided to focus my brand on shoes, specifically catering to that specialty niche alternative culture I had fallen in love with decades prior. I named my brand “Charla Tedrick” — a nickname from one of my grandparents and my soon-to-be new last name that happened to have a nice ring to it. In July 2016, I legally formed Charla Tedrick, LLC and in February 2017 I launched my first collection of 12 styles— Charla Tedrick: Specialty footwear for the rock n’ roll heart. 10 years later, I’m still here, still pushing forward. It’s been a wild ride but we’re just getting started!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to now has been windy and bumpy, anything but smooth. There’s been a lot of uncertainty in what the future would hold with whatever company I was with at the time. Nothing ever felt like a “forever job” to me. It all felt temporary and would leave me questioning what the big picture was going to look like. I worked in fashion during the recession of 2008, and was laid off from my first shoe design job that left me unemployed and directionless. I eventually found my next home, but the long term stability always felt like a big question mark. Where was I going to end up 10 years from now? How long was this job going to last and what was going to come next? Eventually there had to be an acceptance on my end that I just wasn’t going to have the answer to that. I don’t have a crystal ball and I can’t say how long something is going to be successful, just like I can’t predict the future happenings in any other area of my life. I accepted that this was what I loved, and this is what I wanted to do with my life, regardless of the risk involved.
The other big struggle has been the financial requirements of starting your own brand. I didn’t have an investor, and was starting my brand with a little chunk of cash and a plan to make it recirculate and grow (which was a long process). A product based business requires cash up front. You have to have something to sell, and you have to have money to make or acquire that something. There’s a product life cycle that can tie up your cash for 6 months before it recirculates. Making it all work with very limited financial investment to start can be very tricky and I’ve had to be very creative and open minded. I’ve spent 10 years with my brand working very DIY, very scrappy and very strategic. I’ve been able to grow slow and steady but I’ve had to be patient and persistent.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m Char Tedrick. I’m an artist, a creative, a small business owner, a fashion designer, a tattooed lady, a wife, a mama and a dreamer all at the same time. I started my brand Charla Tedrick Footwear 10 years ago and have spent the last decade organically growing, selling my shoes to customers and stores all over the world. At present, I sell my shoes direct to consumer through my website www.shopcharlatedrick.com, through social media sales channels, in small boutiques, at in-person traveling specialty expos and as of recently, at my retail space in Leander, TX.
I do every job in the house from designing my shoes, product development, handling off-shore mass production, managing my warehouse, fulfilling and shipping orders, selling wholesale to stores all over the world, managing my website, doing marketing/ad work from email marketing to social media management, and traveling across the country selling in person at specialty expo events such as oddities expos and tattoo conventions.
My brand slogan is “specialty footwear for the rock n’ roll heart” and I create and sell exactly that: Shoes that are special, collectible, inspired by rock n’ roll and the many subcultures that make up the alternative lifestyle market. I’m known for my aesthetic — funky rock n’ roll styles that are elevated and mature while still being fun and unique. My shoes are high quality and well made, and it’s evident from the moment you see them, touch them and put them on your feet. I’m known for my shoes being comfortable while still being tall platforms and very novelty. And I’m known for my inclusive size offering, from size 3 – 15.
From sky high platforms to chunky boots, Charla Tedrick shoes are for the rule breakers, the rebels, the wild and the free. Charla Tedrick shoes bring grit, edge, quality, fit and comfort together in a collection serving the weirdos, the punks, the mods, the dark angels, the rock n’ rollers, the alt curious, the large size population, the queens and all the in betweens.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
My family and brand have found our new home in Austin at the beginning of 2026 and have felt immediately at home. The diversity and variety of lifestyles is refreshing and inspiring. There is truly something for everyone and seems to be a mutual respect for all the differences we all bring to the city. The fact that I can have my warehouse in a nice wide open space but then travel 15 minutes to be immersed in art and culture is something really special and important for my brand. I love that there is so much access to nature and we have so much beauty to explore. The focus on music and art is part of my brand DNA and pivotal to my ability to continue creating from an organic and authentic place. Austin has everything for us and we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to start this chapter of my life and my brand here.
I think my least favorite thing about the city is the heat, but I’m getting used to it faster than I thought I would! I’m a cold weather girl and I love fall and winter fashion…. big coats, cozy sweaters. But I’m starting to embrace the warmth and consider it a small price to pay for all of the other gifts Austin brings us.
Pricing:
- Most styles range from $120-$150
- Sneakers from $70 – $130
- Super specialty styles up to $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopcharlatedrick.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charla_tedrick
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlatedrickfootwear
