I founded JB Ander with one goal: to create footwear that feels as exceptional to wear as it looks. Bold, refined, and built to last.

My first pair of baby shoes were navy blue leather loafers that my parents found on their honeymoon in Florence, Italy. Seriously. So my shoe obsession preceded my ability to even articulate it.

The bestowers of these baby loafers, my architect father and attorney mother, also nurtured my early exposure to good design. As a passion project, they restored historic homes throughout Los Angeles. Whether they knew it at the time or not, my parents ignited my early creative curiosity by welcoming me into renovation decisions and conversations about proportion, balance, and the transformation of physical spaces. Those before-and-after moments left a lasting impression.

From architectural design to fashion design, my teenage obsession shifted when I eagerly took my first job at J.Crew, where my entire paycheck promptly went back to the store. I absorbed everything like a sponge: attended trunk shows, fawned over visual merchandising, and constantly daydreamed about my own fashion future. This early immersion into retail and classic American menswear was all-consuming and laid the foundation for what would later become JB Ander.

My mother's Italian heritage gave me a natural connection to Italian design philosophy, but it was my time studying in Florence that truly transformed my understanding of heritage craftsmanship. I was immersed in a world where art, architecture, and fashion aren't separate disciplines but different expressions of the same creative spirit.

I took courses in Florentine culture and Renaissance arts, but equally valuable were the daily walks through a city where masterful design is everywhere, from centuries-old buildings to the window displays of modern boutiques. This experience continues to influence JB Ander today, with our chief designer also having studied in Florence and our production now based in a family-owned factory in the Veneto region.

Fashion and design aren't just something I've observed. They're something I've obsessed over my entire life. In the 2010s, I channeled this passion into a men's style blog as a creative outlet alongside my marketing career. And yes, I fed what friends teasingly called a "shoe problem," though I prefer to think of it as a healthy appreciation for craftsmanship and variety.

After facing a medical scare and a fork in the road, 20 years into my career in brand growth and advertising, I realized it was time to turn my daydreams into reality.