Food writer and chef Alison Roman took a break from the kitchen to cook up a shoe collection with Margaux which launched on Thursday — marking her first fashion collaboration.
Roman worked closely with Margaux cofounders Alexa Buckley Roussel and Sarah Pierson to develop the four-style collection, which includes three new Margaux styles as well as the Salamanca flat. The styles embody Roman’s approach to getting dressed, described as “considered but unfussy, distinctive yet inherently wearable.”
The collection encompasses the Atlantic Clog, crafted in rich brown suede and black nappa and named for the Brooklyn avenue; the Charlie Boot in brown tumbled calf, named after Roman’s son; the Salamanca Flat, a pointed-toe style in English brown suede; and the Parlor Mule, presented in black suede and burgundy embossed python. The Charlie Boot, Atlantic Clog and Parlor Mule are completely new silhouettes created exclusively for the collaboration.
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Roman knew what she wanted each shoe to do and how she wanted it to feel, getting involved with decisions regarding heel heights, toe shapes, materials and fit. The styles were inspired by what Roman really needs to move throughout the day.
“I didn’t realize how much I’d learn from this process,” Roman said. “With food, you can adjust as you go with salt, acid, etc. A shoe has to be right from the beginning. That kind of precision forced me to be really specific about what I actually wanted, which honestly just made the whole thing better. Alexa and Sarah pushed me in the best way.”
The chef added, “What surprised me most was how physical making shoes can be — how much the material matters, how a heel height changes everything, how a toe shape shifts the whole feeling of a shoe. I loved the process and I’m really happy with the outcome. So much of what Margaux values is what I care about too, in terms of comfort, ease, and something timeless.”
Prior to developing this collection, Roman had a preexisting relationship with Margaux. Roman met Buckley Roussel and Pierson in 2025 when she took part in the brand’s 10th anniversary campaign for the Fonteyn ballet flat. This evolved into a collaboration grounded in a mutual appreciation for beauty without preciousness and a perspective on style which prioritizes how women really live.
Pierson said that Roman approached the process like a recipe.
The cofounder shared, “She started with the singular insight of the shoes she was missing in her own wardrobe, and we built from there. She took a personal approach to design, obsessing over the details as much as we did to ensure that the collection felt distinctly wearable and distinctly hers. That clarity gave us the creative freedom to realize her vision — and a clear throughline from the start.”
The campaign starring Roman was photographed by Theo Choi in and around Roman’s Boerum Hill neighborhood. In the photos, she’s captured engaging in her regular routine, with vignettes of her stopping by Rucola and getting provisions at Sahadi’s.
Buckley Roussel said, “We photographed Alison in Brooklyn for the campaign, near all of her neighborhood spots, because we wanted to show how the collaboration is true to her everyday life. These are shoes she wants for each moment of her day, whether that’s shopping, grabbing a coffee, meeting someone for lunch, hosting people for dinner at her house, or more.”
Available now, the collection can be shopped exclusively at margauxny.com, with pricing starting at $345.
