Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tiffany Chantra has always had her own sense of style. But she never knew she would be designing shoes until the dream job fell into her lap when, at a crowded career fair, the head footwear designer at Coach approached her. “She came up to me, said she liked my shoes…and the she asked when I could start!”

After the summer internship, Chantra completed her A.B. in Psychology at Harvard, moved to New York, and found that she needed a very different set of shoes for living in the city. When she realized it was not just herself and her friends, but that women everywhere were in a constant hunt for fun, different yet wearable shoes, she had the idea for DRU. While attending Parsons, her work with designers Kim Phan and Mary Ping inspired Chantra to launch her own line.

“Right after I started Parson, Kim asked me to design a season of shoes for her stores, Project 234 and Project 159. She handed me the first opportunity to start my line, a year before I was planning to do it.” And so, DRU begins with the Spring 2006 collaboration, a collection as smart and edgy as the style mavens who covet them.

Fall 2006 marks the independent launch with a strategically edited line that awakens and satiates every girl’s undeniable shoe fetish, while satisfying the need for comfort and day-to-night wear. From bold black and white stripes bound with red patent leather on the ‘Lauren’ flat, to the sophisticated suede and patent leather peep-toe ‘Tracy’ kitten heel, DRU shoes make a statement of wit and attitude, and fit seamlessly into the demanding trendsetter’s wardrobe.

Indeed, Chantra is well aware of how DRU fits, not only on the foot, but also as a company in its community. “’Dru’ is my brother Andrew’s Thai nickname, and I named the umbrella company for my parents. All the styles are named after and designed for friends or people who have inspired or helped me along the way. DRU is the product of all their influence, and is my way to give back as a community presence,” Chantra explains. DRU has donated to charitable auctions and non-profit organizations, and continues to expand its community contribution program.

View our DRU collection now.