Lindsay Phillips is a very successful entrepreneur from Florida, and the founder of Lindsay Phillips, a shoe and accessories company that bears the same name as her. She is also the maker of the incredibly popular switchflops. This type of flip flop that has removable straps, is meant to match any type of outfit because the wearer can change the straps rather than get a whole new pair of sandals. Phillips came up with the idea while attending college preparatory school in Tampa, Florida. In fact, her initial design stemmed from an art project where she created ceramic flip flops. She later applied for a patent for the interchangeable footwear, and received it in 2004. After debuting in 2007, the product quickly sold out, so Phillips and her mother, Elizabeth Phillips, began to set up a more permanent office, as well as a warehouse and distribution center. As her business grew, Phillips began to include other accessories in her inventory. These include bags, cover ups, and scarves. Now, her company sells products in shops all over the world, from the United States, to Australia, Europe, and more.
Although she is only 29 years old, Phillips has already traveled to a plethora of countries, mostly during her time with Semester at Sea while attending Rollins College. In fact, her visits to places like India, Brazil, Vietnam, Japan, and China have had large impacts on the way she designs her products. Also while attending Rollins College, Phillips interned with Ralph Lauren Corporation, a New York based company that sells high-end leather apparel. Phillips graduated from Rollins with a bachelor’s degree in Art History, and a minor in communications.
Since then, her work has been recognized by many organizations, eventually leading her to win the Women’s Leadership Exchange 2009 Biz Wiz Award. Phillips also won the Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur in the same year, and then in 2010, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Her work has also been featured in several magazines and TV shows. Clearly, Lindsay Phillips has a very impressive list of accomplishments and certainly deserves the recognition she gets.
Besides being a very successful entrepreneur, Phillips has also donated money to several charities and programs, particularly those dedicated to fighting cancer. These include the Young Survivors Coalition and the Mammogram Voucher Program at one of her hometown hospitals. Keeping with her support of cancer awareness, in 2010 Phillips and her company released a pink pair of switchflops to raise awareness of breast cancer.
In just a matter of years, Lindsay Phillips went from being a regular high school girl in Florida, to founder of one of the most popular small fashion companies. Today, her company sells a variety of shoes and sandals, tote bags, and signature scarves, and is still growing. Phillips and her husband, Brantley Muscato, both help maintain the company’s website, and Phillips continues to work on designing new products for her company to sell. In fact, her motto is “change your look, not your sole,” an idea that is exemplified in her signature switchflops.
