“As a first-time entrepreneur in the footwear industry, partnering with Schwilliamz was pivotal for launching my business. They not only grasped my vision for creating the perfect slippers—stylish, comfortable, and washable—but also expertly guided me through material selection, manufacturing processes, and various market entry considerations. Thanks to their invaluable support, our product launch in 2023 surpassed our Kickstarter goals and initiated a loyal customer base who love our product. Working with Schwilliamz, who are as skilled as they are personable, made all the difference. It has truly been a pleasure working with Ann and Dean!”

“I worked with Ann and Dean at Schwilliamz when I was Design Director at Sperry and Keds.  They quickly became true partners, collaborators and trustworthy team members, even though they weren’t part of our full time staff, in particular as we ventured into new product and consumer segments. They’re as thoroughly invested in the product and the end results as the client. They have extensive brand and product understanding and expertise and are skilled in all categories and genders. Their technical knowledge yields better footwear and savings for the client by reducing sampling costs and requiring fewer rounds of revisions. The Schwilliamz team is well equipped to successfully handle projects of all shapes and sizes. And, they’re fun, upbeat and easygoing.”

“My career over the past 45 years has been centered on practicing, teaching and managing the footwear design and development process, latterly holding positions of Vice President and President of Design and Development for Reebok, Nine West/Jones Apparel Group and Sears/Kmart. I have always held Design as the cornerstone of commercial success and found that the services of Schwilliamz have, since 2003, capably supported this ethos. Beyond delivering superb design solutions, the Schwilliamz team has always managed to integrate seamlessly with the vision and direction of the client, often becoming an extension of the internal design group and not just a ‘satellite’ service. Their ability to liaise with buyers, merchandisers, vendors and factories is always professional, dynamic, technically on-point and completely efficient, but above all reliable, creative and consistent. Hyperbole is one thing, but in my experience their contribution to the bottom line has always been exponential. All of the Corporations wanted solid return on investment and so the Schwilliamz contributions were critical to success. Projects included women’s and girl’s footwear design for Nine West, total responsibility for footwear design and development of the Dockers women’s collection, and, notably, the sole responsibility of building the Sears and Kmart Kids footwear lines from zero to a phenomenal multimillion dollar direct business. As a Design manager with multiple pressures to deliver great product, it has been reassuring that Schwilliamz has been available to support the vision and direction of projects over many years with the myriad of challenges given to them. The Schwilliamz team is thoroughly recommended on all levels of capability, embracing interaction with clients and ultimate delivery of product whilst always culminating in a positive impact to brands and profitability.”

“I would highly recommend Schwilliamz Creative Consultants Footwear Design and Development! They are wonderful to work with.”

“I believe Schwilliamz is unique in the footwear industry because they can and have provided support, knowledge and complete partnership to a brand’s design team including artwork, market intelligence, construction details, material determination, costing options and technical expertise. This combination of experience has been invaluable to our business and I greatly appreciate their continued partnerships over the years. While working with the Schwilliamz team, our men’s, women’s and children’s footwear businesses had an average 4-6% season-over-season sales growth, with positive customer experiences generating repeat purchases and brand loyalty. We partnered with Schwilliamz from design concepts through final sample stages. Their team provided multiple iterations of designs/samples based on their detailed market/trend research, which they then tailored to our brand DNA and key target price points. Their extensive knowledge of the footwear process, product, the consumer and the market, plus their ability to pivot quickly, proved they could meet each project successfully and enthusiastically. For example, they presented multiple complementary silhouettes to a core style the brand didn’t realize could be expanded. These additions grew the category 15% in sales the first season, then 7-9% for seasons after. It is clear they value challenges and partnerships to meet and exceed the goals for each collection.”

“I worked with Schwilliamz Creative Consultants several years ago on a project for Sperry. I found them to be very creative, well informed and trend savvy. They were easy to work with, conscientious and responded well to our input. Their research was well thought out and interesting, and they grasped our needs quickly. The ideas they came up with were fresh, on trend, commercial and presented in an informative way, giving a new perspective on what direction we could take. I would highly recommend them for any projects you have in mind.”

“As Director of Product and Sales for the Nantai Group, I had the pleasure of working with the Schwilliamz team supplying footwear to leading US brands in the US. The quality of the team’s footwear design collection aesthetic and market insight, combined with the highest level of collaboration on all aspects of sample development proved very fruitful in generating an exponential increase in sales in a very quick period of time.”

“I have been working with Ann, Dean and the team at Schwilliamz for many years and they have continually helped fill a void in our product creation process by understanding our needs, providing both industry and consumer insights, and helping us create world class comfort footwear. From initial design concepts to preparing specifications for our factory partners, they over-delivered every step along the way. My divisions would be lost at sea without the experience and professionalism that this team provides. They helped us find new opportunities in a crowded marketplace, capitalize on opportunities with our existing customer base, and increase the overall efficiency of our creation process, allowing us to get product to market, much faster than previous seasons. I cannot express how much I enjoyed working with this team and the value that was added by using them...highly, highly recommend!”

“I have worked with Ann for over 25 years, both at Reebok and then at Stride Rite Corp where she was Director of Design. Most recently, I have hired Ann for consultant work, she has completed 8 projects for TIEM. Ann’s ability to juggle multiple projects helps support the productivity of any team. An employer would be lucky to have Ann on their team. It is rare you come across talent like Ann, she is able to work both the business side of a project and the design/ creative execution. Ann will never miss a deadline and is always honest , thoughtful and transparent. Not to mention a truly talented designer.”

“I was introduced to the Schwilliamz team shortly after I took over a struggling Men’s, Women’s and Kid’s shoe business.  Their enthusiasm for the product and understanding of the company’s vision to help turn the business around made them perfect business partners, and they quickly demonstrated their ability to lead and inform the product design and development process. As collaborative designers, they understood our data and implemented our strategy, building better products and helping drive a process that ultimately resulted in the turnaround of the shoe business and footwear becoming an exclamation point of the brand.  Ann and Dean’s curious and creative spirit always kept their approach innovative and fresh, but still rooted in the consumer and always capitalizing on the optimism of each new season. This ensured that the footwear Schwilliamz created was not only business driving it was also brand building. Moreover, I don’t remember working that hard and having that much fun all at the same time! We couldn’t have done it without them!”

“As Men’s Design Director for SHMC, I worked with the Schwilliamz team for many years. They were key partners in building extensive lines of boys and girls product, handling all parts of the design and development process.  Schwilliamz partnered with our internal men’s and women’s design teams to present seasonal trends after which we worked hand in hand to align product details to make the brand DNA understandable across all categories and genders. They always brought valued ideas to the table, focusing on designing and developing trend right product that hit the corporate buyers’ costing and assortment needs, appealed to consumers, and performed well commercially.”

“As a Global Sourcing manager for Sears Holdings Corp, I began working with the Schwilliamz team in early 2011, when children’s footwear was added to my list of responsibilities. At all times throughout my relationship with Schwilliamz, their work was insightful with a strong attention to detail and delivered firmly within our process timelines. The Schwilliamz team was responsible for trend and color forecasts, comparative shopping, and all aspects of designing and sampling the expansive Kmart and Sears children’s footwear lines, from first prototype through confirmation samples. Working within the SHC process guidelines, our collaboration yielded a direct penetration increase each quarter throughout their contract. I have used their team as an informal resource since, and I continue to and their information and follow through exemplary. I have often recommended their services and look forward to any future partnership with them as the need arises.”

“I had the pleasure of working with Ann and Dean while managing the footwear Design and Development business for Lands’ End. We had just made the decision to transition from a direct sourcing model to a more agent driven model, the challenge being that factories were not equipped with design resources... a big challenge. One of our more resourceful factory partners hired Schwilliamz to be both their design arm and representative. And that was a smart choice. It worked like a charm. Dealing with Ann was as if she worked for us and was part of our team. She came prepared with research, trend identification, recommendations and then a well thought out product offering. She blended the design and business needs with real world execution and was able to keep us on trend, profitable and provide maintenance free kids footwear business for us. What more could you ask? I would highly recommend reaching out to Schwilliamz to discuss your product needs, business model and see how Ann and Dean can help to create solutions for your business challenges and expand your team’s capabilities, you won’t regret it.”

“Ann and Dean own the footwear design and sourcing business named after a merge of their 2 surnames. Ann is from the UK and Dean is a New England native. They have excellent skills in designing, sourcing, producing, and advising on all aspects of footwear creation. These guys have an awesome work demeanor and have surrounded themselves with very talented designers from Boston-area design schools. Did I mention they are married and have 2 lovely sons?”

“I first worked with Ann Williams when we both designed kids shoes at Stride Rite. She was my manager. Years later, after she had established Schwilliamz, I freelanced as a designer for her on a number of projects. During our Stride Rite years I was very impressed with how Ann could keep a great number of programs moving effectively along while guiding the design team strategically to refresh our product line. After becoming a design manager myself, I realized how challenging that role can be — partnering with line-managers, marketing, sales and factories, all while directing a design staff to do great work on time. Ann handled the role beautifully. When I worked with Ann and Dean at Schwilliamz I could see that they had to assume all of those roles while helping their clients create commercially successful product lines. Our collaboration benefited from their clear direction. I always felt well-supported to supply accurate concepts and tech packages. It is clear to me that they are a very professional team who dedicate themselves to satisfying their clients’ needs.”

“Sometimes as a consultant you have a need to collaborate with someone to handle a bigger project or to have some extra creative muscle. Schwilliamz is my go-to as they are effortlessly able to work with my concepts and add in their own creative input. It’s a relationship that is really relaxed and ego-less. That is a rare commodity these days. All our collaborations have resulted with successful products and clients.”

“For over 20 years, since first working together at Stride Rite, Ann and I have maintained both a professional relationship and friendship. Ann is the 1st person I call for sound advice. She is unstoppable. Ann is justifiably highly regarded in the footwear industry for her professionalism, her ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, her knowledge, skills and experience across genders, product categories and price points, and the ease with which she can communicate, collaborate and pivot between roles. She can take what feels like a daunting problem and turn it into a manageable challenge, breaking it down to its bare bones and using the limitless tools in her professional arsenal to get things moving in a positive, productive direction. I have seen her use this skill to tackle tough design projects as well as effortlessly manage teams of co-workers from different departments, locations and even companies. Her quest for knowledge pays off as she is always up to speed about seemingly anything worth knowing, from which brands to watch, books to read, trends to implement and colors and materials to use, to which webinars and websites to follow. In short, Ann is one of the most capable people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She is an inspiration, and I recommend her without hesitation.”