GC4W Marketplace Spotlight: Ezgi Todurge of Lordess Shoes
GC4W is so excited to announce that we are carrying Lordess Shoes on our newly launched GC4W Marketplace. We started a new campaign this month to encourage our community to #shopsmall and support female entrepreneurs when doing your holiday shopping this season.
“[Lordess’] timeless collections are meticulously designed by female founder, Ezgi Todurge, who strives to have comfort, style, quality, and versatility coexist. Inspired by professional women in the workforce and shifts in gender roles/norms, the signature Lordess design was born—a feminized oxford that exudes just the right amount of androgyny.
Each Lordess design is curated through vigorous quests for the most appealing leather and accessories to offer a sensorial and versatile footwear experience that can effortlessly transition from day to night, and office to the weekend. Made with you in mind, Lordess aims to become a wardrobe staple for all women who seek to curate a mindful closet with timeless style.
Lordess wants to help you adopt mindful shopping habits, and choosing quality over quantity– so you can lead a life of meaningful experiences; not wasteful consumption.” (Source)
We sat down with founder Ezgi Todurge about her collections, her entrepreneurship journey, her motivations, and more!
1. What inspired you to start your business?
Over the years, I observed professional women in metropolitan areas fail to find shoes that didn’t break their skin or force them to give up on looking fashionable. I also observed the absence of originality and mindfulness in the footwear category, where fast fashion dominates and the topic of health is rarely discussed in relation to shoes. So, I set out to launch Lordess where comfort, style, quality, and versatility co-exist.
2. What can you share about the products you create and/or sell?
Lordess offers limited edition, limited release, handcrafted shoes made by artisans in Istanbul, Turkey. As an advocate of slow fashion and authenticity, Lordess aims to educate today’s women in adopting mindful shopping habits and choosing quality over quantity– so they can lead lives of meaningful experiences; not wasteful consumption.
3. What do you love most about working with customers?
I love hearing the needs, wants, and literal pain-points of my customers, directly. It plays a big role in helping me design and improves on future Lordess footwear designs.
4. What motivated you to sell on the GC4W marketplace?
Female empowerment is a common mission both GC4W and Lordess share. GC4W isn’t just a marketplace, but a community of brave women who support each other. I am proud to partner with an organization that offers the means and resources for women to excel.
5. what advice do you have for an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner?
Don’t measure the success of your brand with revenue in the first few years. Be sure to celebrate the little milestones. Remember to give yourself credit. And whenever you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath and reflect on why you chose this journey in the first place. Network. Network. Network.
