Oakland designer and stylist Shayla Dopp uses sustainable material to make her high-end footwear.
Looking for a statement shoe in a colorful hue? Perhaps a baby blue called “tears on tears” or a bright green the color of a pasture after a spring rain? DOPP makes high-end, really comfortable footwear in a variety of timeless styles and sizes (5 to 13) to fit your color fancy. Or if you need an everyday neutral, the Oakland shoe company offers winners, such as the best-selling Greta closed-toe mule in pearl.
Designer Shayla Dopp considers footwear “the ice cream of fashion.” Before settling on a design, the freelance stylist sketches hundreds of drawings on transparent paper in the live/work space she shares with her photographer fiancé. Each style is inspired by an important person in Dopp’s life. Her first shoe, a peep-toe mule with a column heel made of European birch, is named after her fiancé, Benny. Cindy, the classic wear-with-everything pump with a rectangular heel, is inspired by her mother. She turned Benny’s columnar heel on its side for the Greta, which is named after her Danish grandmother.
The Santa Cruz native is very particular about choosing materials and colors for her shoes. Since it’s a difficult color to match some skin tones, she scoured the entire city of Los Angeles for the right shade of “sun” yellow that would look good on most everyone. All of her shoes are handmade of high-quality leather (meat by-product leather, if possible) in a small Los Angeles factory. The leather gives and molds around your feet during the breaking-in period, adding to the comfort factor. Her shoes are proudly made of sustainable materials that are almost completely biodegradable (the steel post in the heel is the last element). The result is a “comfortable, beautiful shoe for women of all sizes.”
DOPP currently offers five versatile designs (including her newest, a cowgirl-inspired boot in an appealing cheetah print) online at DoppCity.com. Prices range from $365 to $750. The company is currently courting wholesale clients, including Galerie.LA and retailers in Australia, and hopes to offer the line in Bay Area shops soon. Check the website for details.
