Last Report

“Shoe-Master” Tanita S. Gray knows all there is to know about shoes, from wedges to flats to doggie shoes. She’s so passionate about footwear that she made it her goal to present a platform for other shoe lovers to connect with professionals in the industry. Enter Last-Report, the most elaborate shoe magazine to date, with focus on not only design and style but also health, orthopaedics and socks. Tanita has spent 15 years in the industry, getting to know it inside and out, and now we’re getting the exclusive chance to get to know her.

Hey Tanita! When did you first come up with the concept for Last-Report?

I have always admired the Clark Kent/Superman character and his abilities to be a reporter by day and wear this awesome costume whenever anyone needed a hero. It was that same duality as a designer, heroically saving the world from ugly shoes and the information seeker in me that constantly poked and prodded my managers to tell me everything there is to know about the industry.

I always felt conflicted as a consumer when I would be given a design direction. Who would wear this? Would I as the consumer actually buy the shoe that I am designing? or Why don’t we produce this other awesome shoe? It is not easy to design shoes for a market that you know would not readily wear what you produce. There are many reasons for why this happens. But when the shoes are on the shelves at your favorite store – consumers do not know that was a more interesting shoe choice, so they buy whats available.

I feel like shoe consumers really do want originality, even on a mass market level. And so that conflict stayed with me and is still with me. There must be a way to get consumers to tell us what they really want so that the company directors would listen. What if they could get a peek into our industry and interact with us directly? This is what sparked the birth of Last-Report. And the chance to own my own little,Daily Planet!

What can readers and customers expect from your magazine?

Readers can up their Shoe-Game by reading Last-Report. So if you think you know shoes, think again. They can expect to get the latest news on our industry, style and trend, travel and be open to other areas of footwear that they have never been exposed to. We also have an extensive A-Z shoe glossary that is still growing. We cater to the emerging and new and so the best thing is that they can see brands they have never heard of before!

We also have a cool feature that we are working on called, Blog Roll. This is an area where fashion bloggers can advertise their blogs like real advertisers do. The industry will find them first because Last-Report is a trade/industry magazine. No one else is doing this yet. If I were a blogger looking to gain the attention of a company executive to hire me to improve the content for their brand – I’d post my logo there for sure.

If you were packing for a trip around the world, which three pairs of shoes would you have to have in your suitcase?

I have to have a pair of cowboy boots! I know that sounds like, what? But if you have on a great pair of authentic, made in Texas, cowboy boots – you are good to go. I would also take pair of sexy heels in case there is a night out on the town and yes of course, a pair of training athletics – in case I have to run after the person trying to steal my boots!

Are there any shoe styles that you just don’t get?

I do not get flip flops. The ones that are just a slab of EVA and painful thong straps. Someone recently told me that those are shoes that can turn a dollar into a million. That’s because they flop off, you loose them, they are not good for your feet and you wind up having to buy at least 5 pairs every summer. I get that they are money makers. I do not get that they are still being made.

What’s the boldest pair of shoes you’ve ever worn?

Wow. Most shoes on the market today are considered bold and I do not want to seem corny…Because I work with the brand, Ego And Greed, sometimes I play the role of brand ambassador and represent them by wearing some of the shoes. Most of the shoes from this brand are considered bold statements. Technically, the direction is not my style but I did wear a shoe called Winner recently that I would never have actually purchased on my own. However, when I walked around in that shoe the compliments kept coming. People stopped me, people took pictures. Its a fun shoe. Bold because I would never have thought to add that to my closet. Plus, they are a bit Herman-Monster-ish with sparkles!

What’s the biggest challenge in making a name for yourself within the fashion industry?

The biggest challenge for new brands is the internet. I appreciate the vastness of opportunities on the internet but there is such over-saturation of designers, stylist, innovators, etc. that it is easy to get lost in it all. How do you navigate through that? I think that is the biggest challenge the entire industry faces – how to make a name for yourself in a world that is flooded with people just like you? Outlets like Last-Report and ShopUniques I think are great communities to be apart of to help guide people to you and your name. Its an old story but we have to work together and support each other as a unit in order to stand out.

Follow Tanita on her shoe adventure on Last-Report, facebook, and instagram.