Test Drive Spring 2014 | Page 7

INTERVIEW WI TH C H R I S T I N E TA I , LADIES FOOTWEAR DESIGNER WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME PASSIONATE ABOUT SHOES? I think of the girls who are wearing our shoes on the streets, I think about the girls that I take the bus with — what are they going to wear? We’re featuring a lot of prints and new silhouettes. Some of our best selling shoes, and the most fun to design, are our leisure category. A girl of any age can wear them, slip-ons, lace-ups — bascially any style out there. We tried to put extra details in, a little bit of branding, so when you pick up the shoe and look at it, it’s got something special to it. WHAT INSPIRED THE COLLECTION? It has a lot to do with our girl. I think about my friends when I’m designing the line, I think of the girls who are wearing our shoes on the streets, I think about the girls that I take the bus with — what are they going to wear? What would they appreciate in their closets? I’m always thinking about “the girl.” CALL IT ZINE Shoes and clothing have been a lifelong passion! I knew I wanted a career in fashion and got a degree in fashion and technology from Kwantlen University in Vancouver, but designing shoes was pure luck! I didn’t think anything of it when I sent my CV to Call It Spring, but then I got the call! I’ve only been doing shoes for nine months and it’s been SO, WHO’S “THE GIRL?” amazing. You learn so much — not just the technical aspect, but the business side — about wh