As Dr. Scholl’s Shoes continues to celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, the footwear brand has launched its much-anticipated capsule collection with the late Iris Apfel.
According to the Caleres-owned footwear brand, the capsule is an “expression of how [Apfel] saw the world and how her bold energy and sense of wonder forever changed it” and incorporates prints sourced from her archives as well as personal touches from her life.
The seven-piece collection, which was released Wednesday just one week before what would have been Apfel’s 103rd birthday, marks one of the style icon’s final fashion collaborations she worked on before she passed away earlier this year.
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During the development of this collaboration in 2023, Apfel said, “Fashion is about expressing who you are on that day or that moment. I created this collection with Dr. Scholl’s to express myself — the many sides of my fashion personality. I hope you like them!”
One of the standout items in the range — and Apfel’s favorite in the collection — is the Mr. Carl mule, named in honor of her late husband as she said the shoe reminded her of the slippers he used to wear in their apartment.
Other styles include the Original Too, an update to the brand’s Original sandal that was reimagined in bright turquoise velvet with a matching wood sole. Additional design details include special touches like ornamentation of Apfel’s iconic glasses and turquoise buckles and studs on the shoes inspired by her love of turquoise jewelry. The use of an intricate tiger print is also featured throughout the line, nodding to Apfel’s love for exotic prints.
Interestingly, the collection is the footwear brand’s first collaboration to expand beyond its Original sandal. But notably, the collection features playful interpretations of another iconic wood style, the clog, as well as the brand’s newest icon, the Time Off lace-up sneaker. An interesting detail featured on the sneaker is the inclusion of Apfel’s quote “Be Your Own Style Icon.”
For Katie Moore, senior design director at Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, working with Apfel was a true honor. “Working on this collection was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on a collaboration, and I’ve been here for a while,” Moore told WWD’s sister publication FN in an interview. “Being able to work with such an icon and to help tell her story was so special.”
Moore added that Apfel sent the Dr. Scholl’s Shoes team a plethora of reference material for the collection, including personal photos, editorial clippings and prints she had worked on. “It was hundreds of photos to go through,” Moore recalled. “That was great for me, though, as it helped me to pull together something that felt uniquely her.”
The launch of the footwear collection coincides with the release of Apfel’s new book “Colorful,” where she shares her design doctrine and greatest inspirations. Her collaboration with Dr. Scholl’s Shoes is featured within the pages of the book.
The new Iris Apfel x Dr. Scholl’s Shoes collection, which retails between $120 and $240, is available at Drschollsshoes.com.
