Welcome to Childish Chat. We interview interesting parents for each newsletter. You guys are out there doing some amazing things, and we want to acknowledge your expertise and hard work.
Hope you enjoy our conversation with Kathryn Schutt, GMM of Footwear at Free People.
Where do you live, and what is your favorite restaurant?
- Austin, Texas; June’s or Aba
What is your job and title? Can you tell us about a typical day at work?
- GMM of Footwear for Free People. Mondays we analyze and react to business. Much of the week is planned around booking deadlines, building assortments for buy review and reviewing our financials in open to buy meetings. We curate our assortment from both market brands and our own brand product. We are always doing research, looking for emerging trends, new ideas and interesting brands. We love working on collaborations in the market and our own footwear labels, including Free People and We The Free. Currently, we're buying for February 2026.
What are the shoe trends for Fall?
- Equestrian boots, clogs, boat shoes & loafers. (Check out the Blaze Pull-On Boot!)
How do you determine what shoes to buy so far in advance?
- Trend research & customer knowledge. Years of experience helps but you have to stay on top of what’s current through many avenues… working closely with concept and design partners, social media/trend forecasting resources, and shopping the market.
What is the best part of your job?
- Creative freedom and working with really talented people.
How did Free People do so well during Covid? Have you noticed changes in buying behavior?
- Of course, with everyone at home it was a stronger growth in DTC [Direct to Consumer] shopping during Covid. Our online presence at Free People was strong, but teams had to get create to offset the loss of business in stores, all teams worked hard to focus on engaging with our customer through our website during that time.
How do you know Meg and Laura?
- Meg is my best friend since childhood, making her like family to me, and Laura is like a cousin.
Tell us about your family.
- We have two sweet, wild boys that are 5 and 3, and a cat named Bonkers.
What is your favorite meal to make on Childish Plates (can you share the recipe??)
- Ground beef tacos!!! With shredded cheese, green olives, fresh salsa and Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), and I love that you can easily cover any leftovers with the non-slip lid.
