“Saving the Planet - One Shoe at a Time”
Kara Mac (Schwartz) studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and spent her professional life as an apparel designer, specializing in knitwear, for labels such as Ralph Lauren and Talbots. As a train commuter, she went through two to three pairs of shoes each day, depending on the occasion. Kara had an idea to reduce footwear’s environmental impact by reusing what one may already have and make it last longer, decreasing the number of shoes dumped in the landfill.
Kara Mac Shoes was launched in 2015. The patented innovation introduces the world’s first shoe line with instant heel to toe customization. It allows users to morph their shoes from hundreds of different trendy, fun and personalized options that she calls “Candy”.
Kara has participated in numerous entrepreneurial summits and panels including Project Entrepreneur, HSN American Dreams Academy, NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners). IRelaunch, The Business Council of Westchester and took 3rd in the UPS X-Port Challenge Competition in 2017. She was a participant on CNBC’s Power Pitch and is a member of the Female Founder Collective.
She has also mentored numerous high school and college students who chose a career path in the fashion industry and taught a dozen high school seniors how to use Illustrator and Photoshop, when they were home in the spring of 2020, because of the pandemic.
Kara lives in Mount Kisco NY, with her husband, two sons and two Portuguese Water Dogs.
