How Ahriana Edwards Is Empowering Women of Forgotten Shoe Sizes

Ahriana Edwards, Founder and CEO of Vaila Shoes, is on a mission to achieve size inclusivity in the footwear space for women with extended shoe sizes. 

As a woman with a larger than average shoe size, Ahriana was frustrated by the lack of quality high heels available. Rather than continuing to deal with this inconvenience, she set out to come up with a solution. The solution manifested itself in the form of Vaila Shoes—a modern brand designed specifically for women wearing a size 9 to 14 in shoes. Specializing in footwear for the workplace and afterhours, Vaila is on the way to becoming the go-to solution for women looking for beautiful shoes that fit properly. 

We asked Ahriana if she always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur, about the achievements she’s most proud of so far, and what’s up next for her and Vaila Shoes.

Q: Tell us the story behind your company’s founding. How and why did you start working on Vaila Shoes?

A: Since middle school, I’ve always worn a larger shoe size that was more mature for my age. Talk about the struggle of going into a shoe store and wanting those cute sandals that all of my peers had in middle school and having my mom tell me that I’d have to shop in the men’s section. It was horrible growing up trying to be feminine when my shoe size would never let me.

It wasn’t until college when I decided to do something about it. It was early 2020 and like many people, I was going through a reflection and transitional phase. I started reevaluating how I wanted to show up in the world. I set out on a journey to shop for apparel and attire to accommodate my business lifestyle. I was able to replenish everything but my shoes. It was a mess. I found myself going to multiple stores and shopping online for hours just to end up at retailers who stocked limited, outdated, and less inclusive shoes for the workplace. I was frustrated because even after a decade, the fashion industry was progressing with plus-size apparel but not with plus-size footwear. Next thing I know, those middle school feelings of not being enough, not being qualified, and not being beautiful rushed to my body at 21 all over again. I thought to myself, “How am I supposed to show up as my best self if I can’t even find the shoes to accommodate me?”

After that moment, it was clear: I needed to create Vaila to give us women with extended shoe sizes aVAILAbility. Those early days taught me to actually talk to women that were like me and figure out what the current footwear industry was missing and how to build the best footwear brand for them. Millions of women like me need access to footwear that fits well, looks good, and is workplace appropriate. From there, I set out to create a footwear brand that did just that.

Q: What makes Vaila Shoes different from other similar companies? 

A: At Vaila, we position ourselves as the go-to brand for modern dress shoes in larger sizes. We succeed because we create the footwear space that caters to our customers, rather than having them conform to spaces that don’t acknowledge them. For years, ladies with extended shoe sizes have had to buy unreliable shoes that didn’t cater to their foot structure. Vaila engineers their shoes to have a thicker heel base, spacious toe boxes, and insoles that covers the larger foot structure. Unlike Vaila’s competitors who focus on original designs, Vaila solves our customers’ current problem of finding shoes in today’s trends for them to purchase. Lastly, Vaila is the only dress shoe brand that focuses on the business women’s lifestyle through our diverse categories of dress shoes, which are also workplace appropriate.

Q: Have you ever felt like you’re “different”? 

A: Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, I didn’t see members of my family going to college or people in my community starting their own businesses. When asked, “What inspires you?” I’ve always said that I was inspired and motivated by what could be, even if it wasn’t yet. I was always asking, “What would happen if we had more, if we could do, or be more?” I was always thinking ahead to the future. Later, I found out that I had a true strength of ideation and futuristic attributes. This resembles a person who has the ability to look past the events of today and into the possibilities of tomorrow while also constantly thinking about new ways to solve problems and challenge the status quo. In entrepreneurship, it’s important to have a dreamer, because when a founder has a futuristic idea of what a company could be, the possibilities are endless. This gift has truly created a clear roadmap for me to build Vaila. After all, companies that innovate and continue to look forward will always be standing in the long run.

Q: Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

A: Absolutely. Without even knowing it, I considered myself a DIY queen. I’ve always figured out a way to make something out of nothing, sell candy, or just be involved with anything that felt like I had full ownership over it. Fast forward to college and I began soul searching and found a true passion for sales, marketing, and hackathons after working with companies such as Toyota and Facebook. By my sophomore year, it was super clear that I needed to major in entrepreneurship even if I didn’t know what I would build yet. To no surprise, I launched Vaila during my senior year in college.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception that others have around entrepreneurship? 

A: The most unexpected part of my entrepreneurial journey is the overwhelming wave of emotions that you experience as a founder. Lots of individuals portray all of the good moments and the wins in entrepreneurship and keep those vulnerable moments to themselves. I wish I saw that. I wish I knew how important it was to have emotional intelligence before I even launched a company. It takes a real skill to ride the highs and lows of emotions and fight for another day. That unexpected reality revealed a lot about myself that I needed to improve upon and pushed me into finding that neutral emotional state to operate best in.

Q: Have you felt like giving up? What made you persist?

A: Absolutely; especially when you’re a solo founder and you have so many pressures on you and so many hats to wear. It can become extremely overwhelming. There were many times where I doubted myself and my ability to carry out the company. But one thing that made me persist was younger me. If only I had shoes aVAILAble in my size, I wouldn’t have gone through that emotional trauma of not being enough, not loving my attributes, or not finding my fashion expression. Everytime I’m on the verge of giving up, I think about her and I think about all of the younger “Ahriana’s” that have come after me. Doing everything that I can to make sure that she has a better shopping experience is all that I need to get me through the tough times.

Q: We dare you to brag. What achievements are you most proud of?

A: Before Vaila launched, I took my passion for storytelling and raised more than $70,000 from pitch competitions and grants. This was before I even had one shoe style confirmed. I just needed to spread the impact of Vaila. Today, nine months after Vaila’s official launch into the market, the company is busier than ever. Vaila has been featured by media outlets such as Entrepreneur, Medium, Black Enterprise, Nasdaq, and more. In addition, the company has been accepted into top accelerators such as Techstars and Black Ambition. The community has also grown to thousands of women who support our mission. We have partnered with strategic marketplaces such as Tall Size and Empower Global, the online marketplace founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs to elevate Black-owned brands, and secured a major collaboration to launch into Macy’s for 2023.

Q: What would you tell your younger self if you were to start your entrepreneurial journey all over again?

A: I would tell my younger self that there is no standard journey in entrepreneurship for anyone. Anything can happen at any stage in your company. Follow your path and you will be successful. I remember doubting my capabilities in entrepreneurship in the beginning. I saw people on my timeline and feed making “six figures in two months!” and thought that I wasn’t doing enough. Then, when I started getting big deals with retailers as a “rookie” in my business, I started having imposter syndrome because I didn’t see anyone my age in retail. I had to realize early on that my journey does not have a perfect path and that I should not compare it to anyone else’s. Also, I would tell younger me to give myself grace because you can’t conquer the world in one day.

Q: What’s next for you and Vaila Shoes?

A: Even amid all of our traction, I’m already thinking about what comes next. After all, Vaila’s mission is to empower women of forgotten shoe sizes by providing them with access to modern dress shoes that they desire and deserve. It is my goal to achieve size inclusivity in the women’s footwear space, one dress shoe at a time. Therefore, we really want to enter spaces where dress shoes are needed the most. We want to continue expanding our retail partners to get representation while also creating low-, mid-, and high-tier shoes for our customers through collaborations. We also want to cater to boutiques and additional wholesale partners as well. Vaila paints the picture of stepping into underrepresented, undervalued spaces. It paints the picture of what it means to be available, to create a community who sees—and loves—all women, exactly as they are.

Ahriana is a member of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women leaders and entrepreneurs by securing PR opportunities, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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