About the Designer

A career in footwear was not exactly in the cards for Angela Obidi. True, like many style savvy contemporary women, she has always harbored a passion for high-end designer shoes “with an edge.” Born in Nigeria, Angela (who is of Ibo and Itsekiri descent) was raised in Warri, Delta State in the southern region of the country where oil is king. Her education brought her to America, where she pursued a degree in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and worked for a time as a Financial Analyst before going on to earn a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management with a dual concentration in Financial Analysis and Information Systems Management. Job opportunities brought her to New York City and for a decade, she has worked in the technology division at a top global investment banking and securities firm as both a software developer and business analyst.

But the New York City blackout of 2003 would prove to be a catalyst for launching her dreams of designer fame. When the power went out, crippling the city’s mass transit system, she found herself stuck in five-inch stilettos for the long trek home. Soon after, she realized it wasn’t so easy to wear her beloved heels all day and “comfort shoes” were clearly not an option. The resulting dilemma planted a seed of quiet determination in her to immerse herself in the art of shoe-making - learning the craft and the business from the inside out – in order to create her own line of wearable “statement” footwear. Enter ALEXANDRA AUBIE, a brand name that makes use of her confirmation name and Ibo name (with a spelling twist). Now, she painstakingly monitors every aspect of her burgeoning footwear label as she watches her own designer success story take shape. The ultimate goal: to create uncommon, high fashion footwear of remarkable design, with anatomic features that offer greater wearability and support for the discerning style connoisseur.