Meet Gabrielle E Wilks | Designer, Sole Savant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabrielle E Wilks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabrielle E, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up my family members always had a large array of “going out shoes” or just church shoes and they always had a pair of shoes to match a particular outfit. Being around an emphasis placed on shoes completing an outfit it fostered an admiration for footwear. Although my admiration for heels was very present, starting a heel business didn’t truly become a thought until I had the freedom to start my own personal heel collection in college.

In college, attending an HBCU and being apart of certain social organizations allowed me to dive deeper into beginning my personal heel collection. The only issue was the process to finding the perfect heel was becoming tiresome. One thing that always bothered me in finding heels was that the styles I initially wanted would rarely go as high as a size 11/12. Even when stores had my size I would still wish to alter them in someway. As a taller woman I knew there had to be other women like me that had these same issues. After that experience, I told myself one day I would design my own heels with a focus on making sure my size was always in stock for women like me. My college experience ended abruptly due to the pandemic and I didn’t unpack fully until the summer of 2020 and that’s really when I got to assess the large number of heels I had acquired over the years. With things still on lockdown I used my time to take inventory, “upgrade” the heels I had, and put my ideas to paper. I started with combining features of different heels, thinking what aspect of a particular heel I would’ve preferred on a boot instead of a stiletto. Adjusting small details like that inspired my process when it was time to start designing heels from scratch.

After my first four designs and some encouragement, I finally decided to go for it. I started researching how I could make these designs come to life and sent out emails and set up calls. It didn’t feel impossible because I knew exactly what my goal for each design would be. I want my designs to be one of a kind, I want them to be multipurpose, I want them to encourage people to not conform to a certain standard that a particular heel puts you in.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art, the art of shoe design, is similar to a painting. A color isn’t just taken and put on a canvas and left there, it’s mixed and blended and built–it’s layered. When designing shoes, you can sketch anything you believe looks good but I believe you also have to prioritize functionality the same way you would the design. For me, the functionality can be even more important than the design, otherwise your shoe might as well just be placed in a case for viewing, When I’m designing something new, once the sketch is finished that’s when the process really begins. You have to break the item down from all angles with the materials and finishing items that will make it wearable and comfortable to the customer.

I want my heels to be on runways across the world but I also want them to be at lunch dates when you’re catching up with friends, when you have to run from the office to support your child at their games, or even when you want to make a statement while running some errands. I want my heels to be multidimensional, versatile, functional: a style for every occasion. I believe that’s what sets me apart, Shihirah is attainable luxury.

As I mentioned before, the journey to get here definitely has not been easy and it still isn’t easy but nothing worth having ever is. I remember the night before my launch I lost half my inventory due to quality control. I was in my garage praying and wondering if I should even continue with the business. But one of my very first lessons in launching the business was empathy and putting my mindset in that of a customer the same way I would as a business owner. That lesson shifted everything for me. Wanting to build a genuine rapport with my customers without the one dimensional “luxe” aesthetic that social media sets as the guideline has allowed me to follow my own path and has allowed my customers to define luxury based on their own terms, because it should be. Even in the midst of this heartbreak and losing half of my first investment, I knew I wanted my customers to know and feel they were purchasing Shihirah at her finest. It’s paid off in the long run because not only can my customers expect one of a kind designs, but ethical business practices, and an enjoyable shopping experience.

As a business owner, I am most proud of my reviews and as a designer/sole savant I am most proud of my editorial credits. Starting Shihirah in the middle of a pandemic, I knew that I wanted to see my designs on a platform outside of e-commerce but I just wasn’t sure how I would get there. Within a year of our launch we’ve been featured in Harper Bazaar Vietnam, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Rebel Magazine, Weekly Style Magazine, and more. It’s been unreal to grasp the fact that magazines my mother subscribed to and I flipped through as a child, I’m now a part of and being given credit for the things that I came up with. It’s truly a blessing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Some spots I would suggest in the city definitely depends on the vibe. For a Girls Night Out, I would definitely put Pasha on the list. I would follow up with Desta, Rock Steady, Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen, Slim & Husky’s, and Southern Fire Kitchen. For a good museum/hangout spot I would go to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, take a walk by the Mercedes Benz area, Ponce City Market, a picnic at Piedmont Park, and go hiking in Stone Mountain. Other than that, Atlanta has so many eateries and places in the city to just vibe out at so to make an official itinerary I would probably try places that are TikTok suggestions.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout article to God, my mother, my grandmother, my family, and my friends. I believe that God surrounds you with the people you need before you realize just how much you need them. They push you when you just can’t muster up the strength on your own. They believe in you, encourage you, pray for you, and pray with you. This process hasn’t been easy but my village has definitely made it worthwhile. They’ve given me the motivation to keep going, they challenge me, and when I’m moving too fast to realize how far I’ve come they celebrate me. I thank God daily for them, Shihirah would be literally sketches in a notepad if it weren’t for them cheering me on.

Website: shihirah.com

Instagram: shihirah

Linkedin: Gabrielle E. Wilks

Facebook: facebook.com/shihirah

Image Credits
Photography & Styling Briana Greenidge Model Kayla Moore Hair Olivia Mayes Makeup Jessica Lazell Photographer @stevenhawkinspolaroids Hair & mua @a_hairnistacreation Model @briana_michelle Styled Megan Carter Style by @youngpublicist Model Olga Silina PHOTOGRAPHER – Aidos Satbek STYLIST – Julia Baratova Model @ul_boss Style Tiana Marcano Photo @andres.mcrea Model @cecisorian MUA @jalberto.glammeup Photographer Inari Washington Style Gabrielle E. Wilks Models Rhesa Smith, Jhadee Gordon, Da’Shunnda Hayward White, Caleshia Dunstan MODEL – Nastya Bogushevskaya PHOTOGRAPHER – Aidos Satbek STYLIST – Julia Baratova MUA – Irina Charkova