Ruthie Davis is the Founder, President, and Designer of the luxury women’s footwear brand Ruthie Davis®

Ruthie Davis is an award-winning footwear designer, entrepreneur, and industry thought leader who founded the luxury footwear brand Ruthie Davis®, known for bold, architectural heels that empower women to stand tall, stand strong, and stand out. Her design philosophy centers on what she calls “Height. Presence. Power.”—the idea that great design can help women command space, confidence, and success. A member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and recipient of the American Apparel & Footwear Association’s “Designer of the Year,” she launched her eponymous brand in 2006 after holding executive roles at Reebok, UGG, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Since launching in 2006, Davis has built Ruthie Davis® into a globally recognized independent luxury footwear brand worn by customers and celebrities around the world. Over the course of her career, Davis has received numerous fashion and entrepreneurship awards, including AAFA’s Designer of the Year, the American Image Award for “Collaboration of the Year” for Disney x Ruthie Davis, WGSN’s Global Fashion Collaboration Award, and Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs Award. Her designs have been worn by global icons including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Halsey, and Cardi B, and the brand has partnered with major organizations including Disney, Swarovski, Universal’s Minions, and HSN.

Today, Davis runs her brand as a modern direct-to-consumer designer micro-brand, building a global community of more than 800,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, where she connects directly with customers and shares behind-the-scenes insights into design, entrepreneurship, and the business of fashion. Through her speaking and teaching, she champions a new generation of independent designer-led micro-brands built on creativity, ownership, and profitability.

Davis holds a BA from Bowdoin College and an MBA from Babson College, where she was inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame at Babson’s Olin School of Business. She is a frequent media commentator appearing on outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, Fox News, Bravo, E!, CBS News, NBC, and Yahoo Finance, and regularly lectures at institutions including MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Parsons, FIT, and the University of Delaware, where she mentors and inspires the next generation of designers and entrepreneurs.