Celebrity Stylist Karla Welch’s New Shoe Collaboration Is a Stylish Call to Action

As outspoken advocates on issues surrounding social justice, Tamara Mellon, founder of her eponymous shoe label, and celebrity stylist Karla Welch, have more than just fashion in common. “We’re both people who like to get shit done,” says Welch. So when it came to collaborating on a capsule collection, the pair cast aside the high-heel power trope in favor of a tight and to the point edit of styles more in step with current climate. “We wanted to design something with real meaning behind it and a call to action,” says Mellon of the limited edition collection which launches today. “These are shoes you can wear anywhere— from a protest to the polls.”

While Welch has collaborated with brands including Levis, Hanes, and Dockers under the umbrella of her label X Karla in the past, this marks her first foray into footwear. “It’s really exciting,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to do a shoe collection and collaboration allows me to explore my own design process while working with people who know how to get it done.” A longtime friend of the brand (Welch regularly calls in Mellon’s signature strappy stilettos for her red carpet styling work), co-designing proved to be an organic process. “You have to have real synergy when you are co-designing with someone,” says Mellon. “It was incredibly easy to work with Karla because our creative vision was aligned.”

Photo: Courtesy of Tamara Mellon x Karla Welch
Photo: Courtesy of Tamara Mellon x Karla Welch

So when it came to the drawing board, Welch was given free rein to create her dream collection and express her personal tomboy style. “With all my collaborations I create stuff that I personally want—it’s kind of selfish,” says Welch of her approach to design. A well-loved pair of vintage Red Wings provided the blueprint for The Hellbent, a mid calf lace up boot; the Rally Cry, a Chelsea boot with an over-the-knee pull on sock, was inspired by a trip to Tokyo; while the Antidote, a crepe soled platform creeper, is her elevated take on a staple in her own wardrobe. “The names are all motivational,” says Mellon of the tongue in cheek monikers worded to inspire the wearer.

Photo: Courtesy of Tamara Mellon x Karla Welch

As for styling, Welch’s stock in trade, she advocates pairing the creepers with a sharp suit, the combat boots with a hyper-feminine dress (she modeled them with a pretty Prada number for the campaign shoot), and the sock boots worn pushed down with jeans or pulled up with a short skirt. The language of style aside, both women know that actions speak louder than words. With that in mind, Tamara Mellon will be donating $10 to I am a Voter, a nonpartisan movement dedicated to creating a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement, for each person who texts TMxKW to 26797 and checks their registration status on September 22, National Voter Registration Day. “You don’t have to be an activist every day of your life,” says Welch of the incentive, “But as Gloria Steinem said ‘Voting isn’t the most we can do, but the least’.”

Photo: Courtesy of Tamara Mellon x Karla Welch