Cynthia Fortune Rainey
Sunday September 27 2009
Cynthia's first collection of shoes, with design partner Shirley Sum, was bought immediately by the prestigious boutique Matches. "That was a total boost. At first, it's difficult even to get buyers to see you. We started going to London Fashion Week and going to Paris," she says of how they won their running start.
By their third collection, Sumfortune designs were being worn by Kylie Minogue, Beth Ditto and Madonna. Cynthia and Shirley continue to boast a loyal following of private clients, including Jasmine Guinness, whose wedding shoes were a bespoke pair of Sumfortunes.
Before settling on a career designing shoes, Cynthia left her degree at Trinity and ran away to New York, working at various odd jobs. On arrival at Cordwainers College, East London, where she studied the craft of designing and making shoes, the rapport she felt with fellow student Shirley was instant. The creative partnership between them is intense. "We start with very separate ideas and they kind of merge," Cynthia explains. "There's always a very tangled, squabbly bit in the middle, and then something pops up that we are very proud of."
The launch of Sumfortune was delayed for two years when Cynthia became pregnant with her daughter, Maybelle. This gave them plenty of time to plan and hone their look. Motherhood was a spur, rather than a distraction from the goals of the company. "Once you've had a child, you leave behind the rather indulgent early 20s," she says. "You're focused, and you have so little time, that any you have becomes incredibly precious."
She recently discovered a latent acting talent, after filmmaker Alexandra McGuinness asked her to star in her latest movie. The movie, She Owns Everything, is an adaptation of an Anne Enright short story. The challenge was a daunting one, but Cynthia rose to it. "I threw myself into it. Each day got worse and more and more gruelling, from masturbation scenes to then having to lose my mind. I can't watch it," she says, laughing. Alexandra wants her to star in her next project too, and Cynthia is in the process of securing an agent.
www.sumfortune.com
- Julia Molony
