Where was lisa b. in the 90's?

Dispatch from the Barn | June 2026

I thought we’d share a little bit of our story and how lisa b. got her start.

I made the decision to start my brand in the summer of 1997. At the time I was working for Kenneth Cole in New York and was coming to the realization that it wasn’t a good fit for me. That became very clear on a return flight from Italy while traveling with the KC team. We were waiting in baggage claim to retrieve our bags. One sleek, modern black suitcase after another came tumbling down the luggage slide. Mine was one of the last. It was a beautiful worn and weathered, earthy brown tumbled leather duffle bag. I remember someone saying to me. “Bertha, you’ve got to get a new bag!” Yes, that’s what the b in lisa b. stands for, my given name. We all laughed because it was so different and didn’t really fit in, just like me.

Shortly after that trip, I was trying to figure out what I would do. I didn’t want to stay at KC. I was speaking with a friend and mentor from a factory that I had worked with from my Tweeds days. He approached management with the idea of bringing me on as a designer, but there was no budget for that. They had something else in mind. They offered to open their doors and give me full access to the factory to launch my own collection. I could even debut my collection with them at the WSA shoe show in Las Vegas in July - this show was a BIG deal! Every major brand showed there twice a year. It was the 90’s and trade shows were at their height. Companies had huge budgets to present their lines and entice the buyers to place orders. I remember being in awe of Doc Martens. Their booth was two stories high, with a bouncer out front and a
live rock band playing sets on the hour. It was the essence of “cool”.

I had a big decision to make; stay at a well-paying job with a great company, or take a leap of faith and start my own. I had the full support of my new husband Rem, and we took the leap together. We had a little over three weeks to come up with a brand name, put together a collection, design a booth and book a flight to Las Vegas. We did it all with the help of the wonderful people at that factory in Pennsylvania who believed in me. I am forever grateful. I would not be here today without them.

We started with a small capsule collection of sandals that year. The collection expanded into some killer boot collections in the early 2000’s. We’ve made espadrilles, clogs, and the BEST slippers. We even experimented with handbags in the early years. On a whim, I thought it might be fun to make some socks to sell with our shoes. Turns out people really love our socks!

There has always been a kismet to our progression as a company. We strive to make products that are well-made and sensibly priced. Now, we’re on the edge of something new again, let’s see where it leads us!

With love,

Lisa