Reed Evins remembers playing happily with scraps of leather and discarded sketches on the floor of his Uncle David's workrooms when he was 3 years old. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, he did the inevitable: joined his uncle's shoe design company. His sister, Melissa Evins, was not interested in the family shoe business. After she graduated from Tulane University, she went to work for an advertising company -- until she got a call from her brother. "You have to come with me," he said. "I need you."

He was planning to start a business making shoes for Seventh Avenue designers, including Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta and Halston. Later, he designed three types of shoes -- an Oxford, a boot and a slipper, all in metallic leathers. He began selling them directly to stores.  This was just the beginning – now they are sold to exclusive boutiques world wide. Mr. Evins still does the designing, while his sister picks the leathers, chooses the colors and handles purchasing.

"We tried to keep the styles clean and simple and the prices under $400 so no one would have to give up a month's rent to buy a pair of shoes," Mr. Evins recalled.