Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Cirigliano.
Victoria, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
VICSON started as an idea back in 2012 when I was 20 years old in Buenos Aires, Argentina (from where I am from) I was completing my degree in Public Relations and I couldn’t envision myself working on an office every day or for someone else. I gave it a shot working in my family’s company but it was soon clear that it wasn’t for me.
Since I can remember I always been extremely passionate about fashion, but as I grew older I started realizing that what amazed me more about fashion was the business side of it, so I went and did a few courses on Business of Fashion and Fashion Marketing in both London and Paris.
I never saw myself as a designer, but in this journey of finding my path, social media was just starting to become a big thing, and I saw an opportunity, I decided to start a shoe brand and sell it through Facebook (2012). So I started searching for factories, knocking doors, I would show up unannounced in hopes they will give me a shot. I had NO CLUE what I was doing, never knew before how to design a collection, or the development process, anything. I made so many mistakes along the way, but it got me where I am today so I wouldn’t trade it.
I did everything myself, for almost four years I didn’t have a single one employee or intern, I learned a lot about this business and that gave me the confidence to embark into this new adventure.
After six years of running VICSON in Argentina, we recently launched in the US, ignited by the good response I got about my shoes whenever I would travel. it was an idea four years in the making, a very long process and lots of hard work.
We launched in July this year and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In my early years in Argentina, I was scammed several times, I had to work with SEVEN different factories until I finally found the right one. I was a young female trying to make my way and be respected in a mostly men run industry, it was hard but oh so worth it. During the process of launching in the US, there were also a lot of struggles, I had to make key decisions like in which country we were going to manufacture our shoes, we found the most amazing factory in Brazil run by a mother/daughter duo.
Of course, I could tell you a million stories of struggles that at the time seemed like the end of the world, but we always found a way and overcome them.
On a personal level it’s been a struggle the inconsistent lifestyle that is having to travel constantly, which from afar always seems ideal but even though it is amazing on so many levels, it’s exhausting and really hard to find stability.
Please tell us about your business.
VICSON is a contemporary woman shoe brand, I like to think that we don’t have a target audience since I design for every woman, I design to be there for my customer at every step of the way, I put a lot of focus on comfort, I don’t believe in having to sacrifice comfort to be stylish. My shoes are made by women for women, I get what they want, what they need, I want them to feel their best self when they put on their VICSON’S and I believe that confidence is much easier to achieve if you feel comfortable.
I want to simplify the process of getting dress for them so that they can throw on some jeans and a t-shirt and put on their shoes and feel amazing. What I am most proud of as a company is that we are Fair Trade, our shoes are handmade by an amazing team at an amazing factory in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil owned by a mother/daughter duo.
I am proud of the amazingly high quality standards that we achieved while still being able to have a reasonable price point. We put a lot of effort into every detail that goes in every style from the leathers, to buckles, to making comfy and plush soles, no detail is spared and that is something that makes me very proud.
we try to be as sustainable as we can, we don’t wrap anything in plastic and whatever shipment we get with plastic we recycle, and we work on improving our sustainability every day.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
100% being persistent, never giving up, trusting my gut and intuition, and never let not knowing what I was doing stopped me from actually doing it, I believe in DOING, don’t overthink it and just go for it. One of my favorite quotes that I live by is “Find a way, not an excuse” . to me there’s always a way to achieve what I set myself up to. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, I have amazing role models, my father has always been extremely supportive but also demanding, and I’m grateful because that made me who I am today as a business woman to always aim higher. although I also think is important to stop and look at what you achieved no matter how big or small and appreciate it and validate yourself. (still working on that myself lol)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopvicson.com
- Email: hey@shopvicson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VicsonShoes/
Image Credit:
@michiganrabbit
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