In April, Jordyn Woods wore a pair of white croc-embossed booties to a New York Knicks game to support her boyfriend, Karl-Anthony Towns. At the time, the boots were nowhere to be found online, and as it turns out, they were one of her own designs.

“Those were mine,” Woods tells FN over Zoom about the white boots. “I teased it a little too early because I was a little excited.”

The model has released the latest collection for her clothing brand Woods by Jordyn, which now includes bold shoes, accessories and handbags.

Inclusivity and style are at the heart of the footwear collection, which Woods designed with versatility and fit in mind, offering styles that empower women of all shapes and sizes. The designs are based on her own experiences after entering the fashion world, having grown up as a self-proclaimed tomboy. “I wasn’t really into fashion, and I think that’s because I was a curvier girl. I didn’t feel like I fit into the mold of what everyone else was wearing,” she said. 

Woods appeared on her best friend Kylie Jenner’s reality TV show “Life of Kylie” as a teenager. Then, when she was 18, she signed with modeling agency Wilhelmina Curve and moved to New York, where she fell in love with the fashion industry. The process helped her find her confidence and exposed her to new styles. She learned that certain clothes, brands and patterns didn’t work for curvier women like herself, and the lack of accessible luxury options for all body types showed her there was a niche for her to fill. 

That expanded into a desire to design her own shoes after realizing that even footwear isn’t a one-size fits all. The shoes in her collection aim to be innovative, fashion-forward designs that are also practical, addressing footwear concerns Woods dealt with when wearing designer shoes. 

“Getting into footwear, that was a huge thing for me because I love to try on boots, and a lot of times, my calves do not fit,” Woods said. “So I said, ‘OK, well, I need to make some boots that fit all, if not all [then] most, calf sizes.’ The girls want to be cute, too. We want to be fashion-forward and have things for us. So that was my huge motivation.”

The collection includes the Stunt thong sandal, the Stunt feather sandal, the Rev midi boot, the Rev cuff heel and the Rev feather boot. The prices range from $165 to $365. The shoes all feature a structured cuff design that was engineered with all calf shapes and sizes in mind, while the sandals feature a wide foot design. Her footwear is also size inclusive, going up to a size 13 in women’s, which is still rare in the footwear industry. 

The heels and boots feature a pointed, micro-square toe and most of the styles are made from faux leather, cotton and denim. Woods says that she wanted the designs, especially the Rev boots, to feel daring and fresh, but still fitting for day-to-day wear. The Rev boots’ name is also an ode to her late father, John Woods, who she says used to ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. So far, the Rev midi boot and the Rev feather boot, made from ethically sourced ostrich feathers, are the brand’s top sellers, while the stunt thong sandals are receiving a warm response from fans online.   

As an avid heel wearer, comfort was also at the forefront during the creative process and she was determined to make her shoes less painful and durable enough to be passed down. “It’s always my most expensive heels that are the most uncomfortable, that break the quickest, you step in a crack, and the heel is ruined,” she said. “I wanted to give people something that did last. For the price point, I feel like we’re in a great space because the quality speaks for itself.” 

Woods and her team are calling this launch her most “purposeful and disruptive” yet, and say it took a year and a half to develop. The process involved extensive experimentation and research, with some “cool” shoe ideas failing in execution. Sourcing materials, like the faux croc, was challenging as Woods sought high-quality, accessible and ethical options that still felt authentic.

Woods remains a supporter of luxury footwear brands like Rene Caovilla and Christian Louboutin, which she grew up wearing. But now, she studies their designs on a deeper level. While she hopes to one day wear her own shoes exclusively, she hopes to collaborate with them down the line. “I love friendly competition, but I don’t feel like I have to compete with these people. I’m in my own lane,” she said.

Woods said managing her brand is her “version of being a mother.” “[Entrepreneurship] is not easy, but it is so much more rewarding when you do succeed, but you have to be OK with failure at times, vulnerability at a lot of times. It’s not for the weak,” she said.

There are sacrifices that come with working in fashion, and she sometimes won’t see profit after reinvesting her earnings back into the business. But none of that seems to be affecting her resolve, and she has people in her corner who believe in her just the same.

“I’m just stepping into a new era of my life where I’m more confident than ever, and I can’t say I’m the most confident person in the world. We all have our days,” she said, as her boyfriend Towns appeared behind her during the call and interjected to deliver some words of encouragement. “Talk your s–t! If you’re the one, say you’re the one,” the NBA star told her. “It’s OK to be the one. You’re the one. Tell me another designer you know that’s melanated and doing what she does? She’s the one. I’m trying to tell you.”

That strong support system, which also includes her family and fans, is fueling Woods’ mission to help uplift others through her products. “I hope they feel like the most confident — I don’t know if I can cuss — but like the baddest b—h ever and that no one can say anything negative to them when they have their items on,” Woods said.

“There’s a bunch of people with amazing ideas that might not have the capital or the access or the ability to do it, so I’m very blessed in that area. But I know, at the end of the day, it’s me versus me,” she said. “[You have to] get out of your head and just do it, whether that’s the workout in the morning, drinking more water, starting a business, putting yourself out there. Don’t be scared to fail and stop trying to be perfect because then, you’ll never know.”

The shoes are now available for purchase on woodsbyjordyn.com.