A quick browse through the Level Shoes web page easily turns into a longer one. There’s a levity to the experience that other footwear behemoths, with their vast and endlessly taxonomized offerings, seem to lack. The platform’s “Seasonal Reset” edit, for example, sees a creamy suede Dolce & Gabbana loafer situated comfortably alongside an iridescent Paris Texas slingback and a retro, long-tongue pony hair Adidas Samba—an irreverent assortment of textures and styles that signals something fresh and energetic.
A youthful eye is at the heart of the company’s ethos. “If you look at our website or our social media,” says Level CEO Elisa Bruno, “Ninety percent of the faces you see are Level employees.” Exciting? Yes. Maybe a little risky too, but Bruno—who signed onto our Monday morning Zoom in a casual sweater-and-trouser look that culminated in a pair of glittery three-inch heels, which she somehow managed to wrangle into the frame—likes that. “Our Gen Z employees are connecting the brand with a younger audience in a very fun, playful way.”
Bruno has been with Level—which was founded in Dubai in 2012—since 2020. After leadership roles at companies (including Zegna, Dolce & Gabbana, and a 12-year stint at Burberry) with singular, time-honored sensibilities, pivoting to the helm of a multibrand platform felt like a breath of fresh air. “Sometimes people ask me why they should shop on our platform rather than visit a brand’s beautiful flagship,” Bruno says. “I always tell them ‘Because we’re cool.’”
That’s not to say that Bruno has no reverence for legacy. “At Burberry, the employee culture was very strong—it led to a strong vision for the product, the aesthetic, and the way we engaged with clients,” she notes. “That became the foundation for everything I do.” At Level, the results of her approach speak for themselves: In 2024, the brand saw a whopping 640 percent uplift in social engagement. On the strength of this response, Level entered the United States—among the platform’s top five markets, with an equal split among male and female clientele—this year online, and plans to open a brick-and-mortar space stateside by 2027.
Level may be growing in prominence stateside, but for Bruno, size isn’t everything: “The giant platforms are already here. We may be really little, but we have very clear ideas of how our consumers like to shop with us,” she asserts. “We’re going to continue focusing on them, because it’s what makes us a good alternative to the competition.” The recipe is clear: less emphasis on logo, and more on curating a tempting mix of luxury, performance, and unknown brands that might not ring a bell, but spark a sense of discovery in the shopper worn down by a constant barrage of familiar product.
As a new year looms, Bruno has some thoughts on trends that will endure—heels are in, and boots with a distinctive heel, “one that says something,” are covetable. When it comes to breakthrough brands, she demurs: “I don’t like to mention brands, because the other ones say, ‘Elisa, you like them more!’ No, I love you all. You’re like my kids.”
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