Next up in our series The Originals, in which we honor makers whose original designs are so wonderful that we start seeing knock-offs everywhere, features a longtime favorite of ours, mom and designer Susan Petersen of Freshly Picked.
We fell in love with her adorable, handmade leather baby mocs about four years ago, before she hit it big with Shark Tank, before she had a zillion different colors and styles, before she was making larger sizes and a few coordinating accessories, and certainly before she was making trompe l’oeil pepperoni pizza moccasins or kitten face moccasins.
(Really.)
Top photo: Jessica Shyba of Mommas Gone City
(See?)
While each pair is no longer made to order like they were when she first started, I love that Susan still designs every pair from her kitchen table, with the majority of her shoes still being made in the US. And she continues to use super high quality leather that’s built to last. I can attest to that; I owned a pair for my older daughter that was passed down to my younger daughter, and now a friend’s daughter is wearing them. And sniff, I really miss them.
Maybe time to order another pair.
Or, maybe we’ll just move up to her The Next Step hard-soled shoes for older kids up to size 13. (Though I’m hoping she goes up just a few more sizes because I could potentially squeeze into them myself. Hint.)
So while we get pitches here all the time for “original baby mocs” that look uh, not so original, if you’re as familiar with Susan’s designs as I am, I can tell you the details, the fit, the styling, the quality — even the elastic which is just the right amount secure and the right amount comfy — definitely make Freshly Picked one-of-a-kind.
If there was any doubt, just check out the remarkable relationships she has with her social media community Seriously, any of the beautiful Instagram photos from Freshly Picked gets about 600 likes within 14 seconds of posting. Take that, Gaga.
Visit Freshly Picked for adorably made, durable baby and kid moccasins in tons of styles and colors. Sorry, no adult sizes yet.
