Put on your dancing shoes

Every day, millions of teenagers around the globe spend a large proportion of their time transfixed by MTV. Brain rot, say some; a bit of fun, say others. Career inspiration? For would-be rappers and dancers, perhaps. But how about shoe designers?

For Jerome C. Rousseau, MTV - and more specifically Deee-lite - were the catalysts that turned him from fashion-phobic teen into today's hottest young couturier.

"One of the reasons why I got into shoe design is one day, when I was a teenager, I was watching MTV. There was a video playing by Deee-lite called Groove is in the House, and in the video they are wearing these amazing shoes in this incredible cut," he says.

"For me as a teenager, I had no idea these shoes were 'retro'. For me, it was a brand new idea, something I never considered could exist. I was completely consumed it and I started drawing shoes after watching that clip."

The 31-year-old Canadian - whose feminine-yet-spunky designs have been worn by Katie Holmes and Toni Colette - says his taste has developed since his Deee-lite days, but the influence music (and musicians) has over him hasn't waned.

When tabloid! spoke to him recently, he was just back from a trip to Tuscany, where his third collection - autumn-winter 2009-2010 - was being put into production. Music, again, was an inspiration, but like early in his career, Rousseau's tastes reveal a collision between retro cool and the obscure.

More music

"I've looked at a few things for the collection. There's a French band called Elli et Jacno. I like the image because there's something severe and sharp about them," he says. "I'm not quite sure what it is about them that inspires me so much - maybe because they have a fierce attitude to what they do and they present it with a lot of conviction."

That's something that could just as easily sum up Rousseau's attitude to shoe design. After discovering a passion for shoes that fateful day, Rousseau put all his energy into learning how shoes were made and sketching the designs that popped into his head. But his hometown of Quebec had no facilities to study design, which led Rousseau to London, where he studied at Jimmy Choo's alma mater, Cordwainers College and discovered another passion: the city of London itself.

Inspiration

"After graduating at Cordwainers, I became very attached to London and the people. I stayed in London eight years after graduating, and worked for John Richmond, Matthew Williamson and Jasper Conran. The art there continues to inspire me immensely." (His spring-summer 2009 collection owes its colour palette to the dreamlike collages by London-based artist Verena Paloma Jabs.)

Three years ago, fate intervened again, and Rousseau found himself living in Los Angeles: great weather, yes, but not particularly famous for its design influence. "LA is not a city that inspires me in my work. It's a city that inspires me to work, but not the content of my work. It don't mean it in a harsh way. But I love the city, I wouldn't stay if it didn't."

But the move to LA did give Rousseau the opportunity to step out from the shadow of other designers and launch his own line - to massive acclaim. His second collection was picked up by stores all over the world, including Dubai's own Harvey Nichols.

"It's been one of those incredible years that I know I'll never forget," says Rousseau. "I had great expectations, but with the first collection I more than doubled my expected sales. I'm a young designer and the support is priceless. It gives you confidence to design a collection the next time."

For a young designer only on his third solo collection, the pressure to produce another thrilling series of shoes must be immense. Rousseau's solution? Just stay true to your vision.

"When I designed the first collection I really designed it for me. When I designed the second collection, I thought about who was carrying the collection, but that's dangerous."

Perfect

"What I always remind myself of is: 'Jerome, design your collection in the way that is perfect in respect of what your vision is.' You should not be caught up with the business too much, that's where creativity comes into difficulty."

So how does he make a mark when stores are swamped with incredible designs?

"It's easy to do something [noticeable] by making it very strange," Rousseau says. "I don't want to fall into that trap. I just want to make things that are impeccably beautiful.

"There've been so many big shoes, so heavy. I wanted to be all about femininity. I want shoes to elongate the leg and make a woman absolutely beautiful and gorgeous," he says.

When Rousseau talks about finding inspiration for his collection, it's easy to visualise the life of a cool young designer living it up in LA. "I never sit down and think, 'This season I'm going to do a collection on this.'

"You go to the gallery and you fall in love with the colours, or you meet someone whose work strikes you, or it could be geometry," says Rousseau. "Throughout a couple of months you see all sorts of things - set designs, costumes, someone in a club dancing and that sparks a lot of ideas for you.

"I am living, breathing and researching [my influences] for a couple of months."

Feminie and wearable

Rousseau's shoes somehow manage to maintain a balance between his edgy influences and that desire to keep them feminine and wearable and he recognizes the fine line between an OK shoe and a great one just think of the difference a few millimetres of leather can make in the cut of a toe. It's the difference between a frumpy pump and a chic one.

"[The cut] changes the personality of the shoe. Most guys don't understand the personality of the shoe, but it changes the way you wear it and it changes the way you present yourself to people when you wear it. It's completely fascinating.

"Even people who think they don't care about fashion have an emotional connection to shoes. If you ask them what they think about shoes they can always tell you exactly what they like - the toe shape, the heel. That's the beauty of shoes."