Jamie Haller built a fashion label out of vintage obsession and pandemic downtime. What began as a hybrid of ballet slipper and loafer, made while she was stuck at home, has grown into a namesake brand spanning denim, ready-to-wear and, starting this month, belts.
“I always had this appreciation for the beauty of old things,” says Haller, who grew up haunting swap meets and flea markets on the West Coast with fifty cents and an eye for Guess jeans. Her collection of Italian vintage men’s loafers, bought at the Pasadena Flea Market, became the blueprint.
The loafer hybrid tapped a moment when chunky soles dominated and quiet, elegant footwear was scarce. “What’s great about loafers is that you can wear them with anything,” Haller says. “They give you some kind of confidence that you were still there.”
The technical path was improvised. With no footwear training, she combined the ballet slipper with the loafer, researched relentlessly, and one phone call at a time found her way to a maker in Italy.
