Fred Allard

Born and bred in the South of France, Allard has been groomed for the design world since childhood. He followed in his father’s footsteps, attending the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture design school in Paris and then getting a job at a shoe factory. He went on to take the Parisian design scene by storm, becoming chief designer at Stephane Kélian at age 22. Eight years later, he accepted a post at Nine West Group working under the design tutelage of Nine West co-founder Vince Camuto. Fred credits his initial twelve years at the company for teaching him to "think globally." In 2005 he returned to Europe as the front man of design at Castaner, where business grew from 9,000 pairs of shoes a season to 53,000 pairs under his leadership. Now back at Nine West since 2006, his career comes full circle and his inspirations on everything from couture to art to architecture continue to elevate the brand.