Fashion

Bianca Gates

Ten years after launching Birdies, the Latina entrepreneur is leading the footwear brand into a new era

OCTOBER 21, 2026 1:52 PM EDTOCT 21, 2026, 1:52 PM EDT

Bianca Gates did not know how to make shoes when she decided to create Birdies. So she Googled it. That search eventually led to a business that began at her kitchen table. In November 2015, Gates and her friend Marisa Sharkey shipped their first order of Birdies, stylish slippers designed with the structure and polish of a flat. Ten years later, the company had sold more than two million pairs to over one million customers.

For Gates, building a brand was also connected to creating a sense of belonging. Her mother is from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and her father from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Gates has spoken with ¡HOLA! about growing up Latina in Southern California, being bullied for being different and how those experiences later shaped her desire to create community.

How Bianca Gates grew Birdies into a multi-million dollar success story and boldly claimed her place at the head of the table — Bianca Gates is proof that you don’t need to know everything, you just need to start.

Before Birdies, Gates spent six years at Facebook working with major retailers, where Sheryl Sandberg became an important mentor. In 2013, the two launched the first Lean In Circle, part of an initiative that would eventually grow to more than 100,000 chapters across more than 180 countries.

Birdies was still young when an unexpected moment changed its trajectory. Meghan Markle had quietly become a fan and tagged the brand after wearing a pair. Then, on Cyber Monday in 2017, Birdies launched a new style on the same day Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement. Demand surged, leaving the company with a 30,000-person waitlist overnight.

Gates left Facebook that year to focus fully on Birdies. Over time, the company moved beyond its original slipper-flat concept into sneakers, boots and kitten heels.

She didn’t know how to make shoes, so she Googled it. The rest is Birdies history.

A new chapter arrived in March 2025, when Birdies was acquired by footwear company KNS International. Gates remained with the company as Brand President, continuing to help shape the business she had spent a decade building.

The acquisition made Birdies' 10th anniversary later that year especially significant. Gates entered its second decade with more than a million customers behind the brand and a new opportunity ahead. The entrepreneur who once had to Google how shoes were made is now helping decide where Birdies goes next.