Linda Delgado, B.A.’85

Shining in Shoes

By Jim Sciancalepore, M.A.’93

One of the often overlooked but critical steps in fashion design occurs at the production phase: turning a design team’s vision into a product that can be manufactured efficiently and sold at a reasonable price for its target consumer.

This is where people like Linda Delgado come in.

Delgado is the vice president of Production for Kenneth Cole’s line of women’s footwear.Her highly complex, collaborative job involves working with shoe designers, selecting the right materials for the shoes, choosing the factories, negotiating prices, and managing orders and inventory.

Though her psychology major may not directly relate to her career path, Delgado said that her UAlbany education helped to lay some of the groundwork for her current success. “I learned how to problem-solve in college,” explained Delgado. “And to focus on important details.”

Between her current 11-year tenure in women’s footwear at Kenneth Cole and a previous four-year stint at Nine West, Delgado has developed a real passion for shoes. In fact, she
has a sizable collection.

“That’s one of the benefits of the job,” she said with a smile.