by Andrea Blackstone

July 30, 2021

A Black-Owned Baby Shoe Brand Founder Lands a Partnership With Neiman Marcus

Toddlers deserve to wear good-looking, comfortable shoes, just like adults do.

With this in mind, Yolandra Rodgers—the founder and CEO of Tippy Tot Shoes—landed a partnership with Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores, according to BlackNews.com. Both Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman are high-end retail brands under the Neiman Marcus Group brand, according to the company’s website.

In 2013, Rodgers started Tippy Tot Shoes after realizing that toddlers, who were beginning to become mobile, were in need of baby shoes offering superb construction, and a cozy feel to promote their ability to take better strides in getting around, BlackNews.com reported.

After “scaling up,” by participating in a FedEx Small Business Competition to raise awareness of brands and help underserved communities see sustainable business growth, Rodgers kept pushing to expand her enterprise. She also sold her shoe brand online, while spreading the message that today’s toddlers who are learning to step confidently can do so with much happier feet.

“My business has longevity; there will always be babies. And these shoes, they did away with them, but now they’re back and better than ever,” she said, according to High Ground.

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Rodgers also mentioned that when her own baby’s first birthday was near, a doctor advised her to find “hard-bottomed shoes,” but they were not easy to locate. The personal experience led the mother to pursue designing and making her own baby shoe brand.

Eventually, Rodgers took a bigger step to enter a prime opportunity, following social justice movements, when elevating Black-owned businesses became a bigger conversation in companies. The Neiman Marcus Group recently came aboard to join Rodgers in making Tippy Tot Shoes the inaugural Black-owned child shoe brand to join forces in a substantial way with Neiman Marcus & Bergdorf Goodman stores, according to Black News.com.

“We are both grateful for the opportunity to express how love and hope can strengthen and rebuild our communities,” Rodgers said.

Click here to find Tippy Tot Shoes on Neiman Marcus’ website.


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