Designer Download: Tashkent by Cheyenne

By Suzanne Singer
September 7, 2010

While most of us were still trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives at age 19, Cheyenne Morris was busy starting her own business making custom shoes. Originally called Cheyenne S., the collection was carried by influential boutiques like Scoop, Tracey Ross and Bond 07. Morris then studied footwear at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology to master her craft and opened up a vintage shoe store in Long Island, The Shoe Shack, before working as an archivist and design assistant at legendary shoe company Delman. She relaunched her own brand in 2006, calling the line this time Tashkent by Cheyenne.

This season marks Tashkent’s 9th, and it's clear that Morris’s extensive background has trained her well. All her shoes are made in Italy with the best leathers and are innovative in their use of texture and color. “Tashkent by Cheyenne prides itself on using the most advanced technologies when it comes to both the structure and material of the shoes,” she says, and she has the accolades from Bazaar, Elle and WWD to prove it.

The Inside Source recently chatted with Cheyenne Morris about her design ideas and inspirations.

The Inside Source: How did you start designing shoes at such a young age?

Cheyenne Morris: I was in college at SVA, majoring in sculpture. I saw a pair of Jutta Newman gladiator sandals and thought my sister would love them, but they were too expensive for me, so I decided to make a pair. My sister, her friends, my friends and so on started making personal orders. I knew then I wanted to go into shoes.

TIS: How did working at Delman influence your own shoe designs?

CM: I worked at Delman before launching Tashkent. Being involved in a large operation gave me great experience and insight into the process of making shoes. I gained a lot of knowledge there, but I had a strong desire to launch Tashkent. It is extremely tough having your own company, and extremely rewarding. It just depends what day you ask me. Today is a good day!

TIS: What prompted you to start designing your own shoe line in 2006?

CM: We began the company in 2005 with our 1st collection debuting FW06. I felt that I was ready to begin my own collection and felt very passionate about bringing my designs to life.

TIS: How did you come up with the name Tashkent for the line?

CM: Tashkent is the city where my grandmother, Wiera Silber was born. It is the capital of Uzbekistan. I wanted to pay homage to a great, strong and beautiful woman.

TIS: What is your process for designing shoes for a new collection?

CM: Every day I am inspired with art, street life [and] people, and ideas will form in my head. A lot of those ideas I will sketch and write about and when it comes to designing the next collection refer to those ideas and see which ones I still fancy and which ones were good at the time but now do not make sense. But I am constantly collecting inspiration and not because I have to because I can’t help it…it is my nature.

TIS: What do you like to search for when you are shopping on eBay?

CM: I look at vintage labels that I admire, such as The Bootery and Herbert Levine.

TIS: Do you have a favorite eBay purchase you'd like to share with The Inside Source?

CM: About 10 years ago, I purchased a pair of Herbert Levine's. They were springolator, silver heels, with the most amazing rhinestone details—truly shoes from a different era!

TIS: Do you use eBay as a tool for your designs?

CM: This season we were sourcing torn garments, bags, belts etc. We looked at eBay to find items that had these effects.

TIS: What inspired you for your Fall 2010 collection?

CM: FW10's inspiration comes from biker meets hippy chic. We took the tough silhouettes of a boot or shoe and mixed it with a hippy chic vibe, generally using materials to create a softer feel and a heavy boot structure to show a biker vibe.

Check out Cheyenne’s eBay picks:

Roll over items for details

NEW Woven Leather Clogs

“Looking at the knotting of leather as well as heel shape here [as well as] the stitching and raised aspect of the upper”

(buy it now price, $41.50)

Vintage Sheepskin Mules

“Again, looking at the mule (raised platform). Besides creating an extra lift, it also gives more cushion and comfort.”

(buy it now price, $35.10)

Vintage Moroccan Slipper Mules

“Looking at the raised platform heel at back- for just a subtle lift. This is a great variation on the flat for women who are looking for a slight lift featured in many 70's shoes, this is great for women in 2010!”

(buy it now price, $11.95)