EXCLUSIVE: Herbert Levine’s Revival Puts Iconic New York Shoe Brand Back in the Spotlight at a Critical Time
Can a Herbert Levine reboot bring some much-needed excitement back to the luxury shoe market in America?
Luvanis, a private investment company that focuses on high-end brand revivals, is confident it has all the right ingredients in place to resurrect the storied label — which was founded in 1948 by New York power couple Herbert and Beth Levine. With a focus on innovation, function and whimsy, the Levines built one of the most iconic brands in the industry before they closed it in 1975. (The label was briefly reintroduced in 2008 by Dennis and Lynne Comeau.)
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The brand’s buzzed-about relaunch is being spearheaded by Arnaud de Lummen, the founder and managing director of Luvanis, and Herbert Levine creative director Trevor Houston — who has cemented his place in the New York shoe scene as the designer behind hit shoes for Khaite and The Row.
After studying menswear at Parsons, Houston got his start in 2011 as an intern in collection shoes at Marc Jacobs under then-design director Irene Chung, an experience that would change the course of his career. “Marc was obsessed with footwear. I learned everything so quickly. It really set off my interest in shoes and obsession with structure and architecture and function,” said the designer, who has also worked at Coach.
An avid collector and vintage connoisseur who has amassed 400 pairs of shoes in his New York apartment, Houston said he has long admired the Levines and their place in shoe history. Fittingly, the Luvanis team contacted the designer after reading about his extensive footwear archive.
An Enduring Brand Story
Beth Levine, affectionally known as the “First Lady of Shoes,” was a pioneering female designer, making fashion boots a must-have in the 1960s and inventing boundary-breaking sculptural heels, the stocking boot and the “Spring-o-lator” mule.
Among Levine’s famed looks were the pair of white stiletto boots she designed for Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” video. She also crafted shoes Barbra Streisand wore in the movie “Funny Girl.” Over the years, the designer’s looks were also worn by other Hollywood icons, including Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner and Lauren Bacall, as well as four First Ladies, including Jackie Kennedy.
While it’s now been five decades since the late couple closed the business, Beth’s designs have been a mainstay in collections and exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Bata Shoe Museum, among other institutions. In fact, the designer’s 1966 “Barefoot in the Grass” sandal — which features astroturf on the insole and a transparent vinyl upper — was the only shoe on display in “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” the Met Costume Institute’s spring ’24 exhibition.
De Lummen — who reintroduced Vionnet’s ready-to-wear in 2006, relaunched 19th-century trunk-maker Moynat and is now reviving French brand Rose Bertin, among other projects — said he discovered that Herbert Levine was the Met Museum’s second most-collected shoe label, after Roger Vivier.
But historical relevance isn’t enough, said the executive. He believes Herbert Levine is primed for a comeback because the brand’s styles continue to inform contemporary shoe designs. Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Stuart Weitzman have all cited Levine as an inspiration.
The Road to Revival
Herbert Levine’s rebirth under Luvanis has been 15 years in the making. De Lummen’s first order of business was to acquire the brand’s intellectual property in every market around the world. Then, it was about getting the right people and strategy in place. “Heritage brands can be damaged by multiple revivals. It’s having all the planets aligned to reintroduce something that is going to be relevant for the long term,” said de Lummen.
So what is relevant for women now? “It’s not about this crazy high heel. It’s actually about shoes that are worn and can go with a lot of things,” Houston said. “This is a fresh take on footwear for women.”
Houston is confident that his designs — a full shoe wardrobe ranging from boots to loafers to pumps — embody the founders’ original vision for the brand: “Refined and elegant, but with an edge,” he said. “A lot of these lasts are from the archives and they were modernized. I worked on them and got them to be wider in certain parts, or shorter or longer where they need to be, to make sure the feet fit well in them.”
All of the Levines’ original shoes were produced in their New York factory, and the new team admitted it was a challenge to find that same level of intricate craftsmanship. “You have to really know the details to get the quality perfect,” said Houston, who has been working on his debut for the past two years with a factory in the Marche shoemaking region of Italy.
During a preview of the collection during New York Fashion Week, it was clear that the designer has immersed himself in every aspect of Beth Levine’s life and work. For example, Levine was deeply inspired by painter Milton Avery, also one of Houston’s favorite artists.
Levine loved to play with materials and detailing — and that influence is evident across Houston’s styles. The designer often referenced Helene Verin’s 2009 book, “Beth Levine Shoes,” while dreaming up the new collection, which launches at retail this summer and is being sold through Massimo Bonini.
Among Houston’s favorite styles is his “grandma slipper,” fashioned in a poppy green hue and embellished with a martini pin. A ballet pump with a kitten heel made of soft PVC material comes with bubble wrap, “almost like a rain shoe.” A deep V vamp shape modernizes a classic pump, reflecting the designer’s emphasis on craftsmanship and fit.
Like the brand’s founders, Houston is also keeping function top of mind, with the highest heel in the collection standing at 95 millimeters, or just under 4 inches in height.
And one of the most touching references to the couple’s partnership comes to life on the insole of a pair of pumps. On one shoe, there’s the Beth Levine moniker; on the other, it’s Herbert Levine.. “I wanted to bring them back together,” Houston said. (During the Levines’ era, shoe brands were typically only named after men.)
The couple’s lasting impact on the industry — and their love for New York — will be a crucial part of the storytelling as the brand embarks on a new chapter for the modern era. Houston believes there’s big potential at a time when the industry has been lacking newness.
“There’s definitely a space for something like this, in the American market especially,’ he said. “Everything I make, I try to inject joy into it. You want people to be emotional about product. It needs to speak to them, and they need to remember it.”
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