Designer Ruthie Davis Channels a Princess Vibe in Her ‘Frozen II’ Collection

Barbara Schneider-Levy

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Designer Ruthie Davis is taking a walk in fantasy land. She’s been tapped to design a collection of styles inspired by the Disney film, “Frozen II,” set to hit theaters on Nov. 22.

“I was very much excited to design the Disney x Ruthie Davis Frozen 2 Collection as it’s so sensory-involved,” said Davis, about the project. “You can feel the icy temperatures, see the dancing and multidimensional hues that reflect like ice, touch the soft luscious or cold geometric materials and hear the whispering Nordic winter winds.”

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This is not the first time Davis has teamed up with Disney. In the past, she has collaborated on collections for Princess Jasmine, Mulan and Snow White.

The Frozen II x Ruthie Davis styles include sandals and boots from $600 to $900. They are available on Ruthiedavis.com and at The Curated by Christian Siriano store in New York.

Here, Davis talks about her design inspiration and channeling a princess vibe.

What inspired the collection?

“It’s inspired by not one, but two incredible women: Elsa and Anna. They each bring their own voice and image to the designs, so I broke the collection into two groups. The Elsa group is inspired by her ice powers and frozen fractals that appear on her dresses throughout the film. The Anna group is inspired by her journey and growth in the film. The movie takes place in the fall, so I incorporated the colors of the rich vistas and the wheat that is her icon, representing her journey and growth.”

The shoes are on the pricey side. Do you have to be a princess to afford them?

“I tried to keep them affordable, but I didn’t want to skimp on quality or details. We used the latest materials from Italy like oleographic kidskins and PVCs, and Swarovski’s newest snowflake-shaped iridescent crystals. Even the linings are high-quality, multi-hued leathers. We also made specific Frozen 2 x Ruthie Davis packaging that’s so beautiful we hope people will save the box to reuse or display.”

In today’s athleisure footwear environment, are women willing to step into a pair of platforms?

“There’s a fallacy about comfort and height being mutually exclusive. You can build a shoe with a platform or wedge or added height that can have all of the comfort of a lower shoe. It’s all about the last, the pitch and the materials making up the shoe. As a woman designing for women, I wear all of my shoes and I make sure they feel great [because] I don’t like my feet to hurt. The reason I design higher shoes is to give women power. When I wear my shoes, I see eye-to-eye with men. And there any many women globally who are on the smaller size in height. They want to stand taller, and my shoes give them that ability.”

What’s your all-time favorite Disney princess?

“I love Princess Mulan because she’s a warrior princess. She’s bold, modern and fearless. She inspires me every day to hit the ground running with a warrior attitude. In today’s world, if you want to achieve big things, you need to have courage and a thick skin — Mulan embodies this. I’m very excited to be working on a Mulan live action film collection to launch in conjunction with the Disney film release in 2020.”

Are there any other Disney collaborations planned?

“My collaborations with Disney are ongoing. In 2020, I’ll be returning to my Disney princess collaboration roots and honoring an early 1950s princess, Cinderella. I mean, talk about a shoe designer’s dream come true. I get to design Cinderella’s 2020 glass slipper. And hopefully it will fit.”

Want more?

Exclusive: A First-Look at the Ruthie Davis x Disney Snow White Shoe Collection

Ruthie Davis x Disney Princess Jasmine Collab Has Bejeweled Sneakers and Tiger Heels

Jamie Salter Wants to Turn Authentic Brands Group Into the Next Disney

 

 

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