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Larroudé Awakening

The upstart shoe brand admits it’s experiencing growing pains in its attempt to reinvent—or at least adjust—the way big retail operates. But if their vertically integrated model works, it could yield a cleaner, leaner end-to-end supply chain that its big-name rivals can only fantasize about.

Marina Larroudé
More than four years later, Larroudé has remained true to its promise, with a business model that aims to create a nimbler, more efficient, less wasteful way of operating a fashion company. Photo: Courtesy of Larroudé
Sarah Shapiro
January 29, 2025

When Marina Larroudé and her husband launched their namesake company Larroudé, back in 2020, they pitched the shoe brand’s innovative model—a quality product that was distributed via quick drop-ship delivery, all vertically integrated, with the shoes moving from the factory floor to the customer’s home in a matter of weeks. Larroudé, herself, also had a story to sell: She was a well-liked fashion insider who had worked at Barneys, the shoe brand Schutz, Style.com, and Teen Vogue. Her finance guy husband, Ricardo, joined her as C.E.O. to stand up the company’s operations and give the brand some business cred. The Larroudés didn’t take on meaningful institutional money, and instead self-financed and raised capital from friends and family, giving the couple the ultimate control and ability to do their thing.