The One and Only Le Seul
How the designer of Le Seul, Danyelle Freeman's, foot injury inspired a unique approach to luxury footwear.
By Roxanne Robinson
Combine an old adage with new technology, and the result is often a lightbulb-inducing good idea. For Danyelle Freeman, the concept of ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ was the impetus for her shoe brand Le Seul. After an accident left her with chronic feet issues, the writer-turned designer scoured the market for comfortable shoes that weren’t orthopedics. Ac Magazine caught up with Freeman in her Park Avenue home, which is currently doubling as a temporary showroom, to discover the impetus for the stylish shoes with hidden practicality.
Le Seul Founder's Start
“Five years ago, my husband accidentally ran over my foot with a car. I tried to pull it out from under the tire, but it was fractured, so I shredded the tendons. My right foot was compromised and developed plantar fasciitis and then calcified. I couldn’t wear a single pair of shoes in my closet and was thrust into this Siberia of sad shoes,” Freeman said of the freak accident.
With brands like Prada, Christian Louboutin, and Jimmy Choo in her closet, the injury was even more of a nightmare and frustration. The native New Yorker had a career in publishing at The Daily News, first editing a fashion trend section with her sister and then, years later, as its food critic. In between, while in LA, she got into screenwriting and the early blog movement with a site called Restaurant Girl. She’s also penned a book called “Try This, Traveling the Globe Without Leaving the Table.”
How the Le Seul brand grew
Once relegated to the world of non-glamourous utility shoes, most of which weren’t comfortable, Freeman became obsessed with dissecting shoes. “None met the criteria I needed to support my foot correctly and float my heel,” she explained. “The bump was so pronounced there was nothing in the market. I bought shoes hoping they would work and wear them; thus, I couldn’t return them. So, I would cut them open and see what they were made of.”
Even shoes branded to address problematic feet didn’t work for Freeman or the orthotics she had made. “It was not my dream to start a shoe company. I started it as a necessity,” she said, noting that she began wearing only long dresses and dreading social events.