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Walk on Water w/ Stella Maze

March 24th, 2018
in Lifestyle

Born and raised on Tortola, Stella Maze has taken her love of life to New York City to pursue a fashion career as vibrant as her own personal style.

With a love of colour and waves of inspiration from the beautiful Caribbean, she created her designer shoe line, Stella Hues, with their signature blue soles to invoke the vibrant culture and beauty of the islands.

Born Athnia Wendy Jack, Stella grew up in a family of fishermen in Road Town. Her creative spirit was born from and fostered by her mother, a sought-after seamstress known for her one-of-a-kind creations and elegant stitching.

Athnia joined the US Army after high school, and in completing her service, Stella forged a new path and made her way to New York City to pursue her passion: fashion.

After interning for American designer Reed Evins, being mentored under David Aaron Siskin (a Giraffe Walk woven shoe owner), and studying all aspects of luxury shoe-making with an expert cobbler at Maestro Factory in Italy, Stella decided it was her time to shine and created Stella Hues.

Her British Virgin Islands roots were the genesis for her vibrant, elegant designs.

“The culture, the food, and the people make the British Virgin Islands an amazing place. It’s nature’s secret and people need to visit to truly understand it,” said Maze.

Stella’s style is classic with an edge. Her sky-high heels are fashion-forward while keeping a timeless, feminine feel at the forefront of the design. Her classic Marsala pumps are every woman’s dream heel, and the vivid green Kerrie sandals remind you of the lush green palms swaying in an island breeze. The Levy sandals are a sunny yellow that make one think of a fantastic carnival costume and the 70s-inspired platform Rochelle suede sandal is funky, edgy, and was a star on the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week runway in 2015. All Stella Hues shoes are handcrafted in Italy and exude a luxurious elegance that are a tell-tale sign of the quality and craftsmanship of the brand.

Her favourite design has been the Nicola over-the-knee boot she designed for Project Runway finalist Michael Costello’s New York Fashion Week debut. And while she doesn’t have a favourite colour, she appreciates bright, standout hues that are vibrant and full of life. She thinks a gladiator sandal is always fresh, and that classic pumps are the perfect shoe that go with everything.

“I don’t speak for my fashion, my fashion speaks for me,” said Maze. “When I walk in a room, I love turning heads.”

Stella returns to the Caribbean at least twice a year to relax and garner more inspiration from the beautiful region. She admits that Caribbean food is what she misses most while living in NYC. Her island heritage comes through in all of her designs and brings a fresh new voice to New York’s high-fashion shoe scene.

With her designs already in the pages of Harper’s Bazaar and Lucky magazine, she’s well established and continuing to innovate in her field.

“I’m working on a collaboration with Skull Candy that will come out this summer,” said Maze, and she has her sights set on television. “I can’t talk about it right now, but keep your eyes open for Stella Hues on TV later this year.”

Stella Hues can be purchased at www.StellaHues.com. When wearing Stella Hues “Bleu Bottom” shoes, you can literally walk on water.