SOPHIA WEBSTER INDUSTRY TALK & STORE VISIT
At the London Fashion Weekend event on thursday. 22nd of September 2016, British footwear and accessories designer Sophia Webster was holding an industry talk at 4:30pm covering a range of topics about herself and her brand. Sophia also has a flagship store in Mayfair, London, which was opened earlier in the year. I visited both her store and the fashion talk, providing a summary on both along with my thoughts.
Sophia Webster Industry Talk
I had paid to attend a short 20-25 minute talk focusing on Sophia Websters influences, future plans along with a questions and answers session from the audience in attendance. The talk was held on the 2nd floor of the Saatchi Gallery, hosted by fashion stylist Martha Ward. Unfortunately filming the talk was not permitted, but I did take a lot of notes on my notepad, whilst the talk was underway. Sophia was accompanied by her husband Bobby Stockley, which is also the managing director of the company.
Education and meeting Nicholas Kirkwood
Sophia first spoke about her education and what led her to choosing footwear as a career path. Sophia attended college with pursuing art and design in mind. She explained whilst on her college course she started drawing 1 pair of shoes a day, and her famous butterfly wings shoes was one of her earlier designs. Once she had finished college Sophia embarked on a 4 years degree course in footwear, followed by a 2 years masters. Within this time period Sophia entered every competition going. Around 2009/2010 upcoming footwear designer Nicholas Kirkwood was a judge at one of the competitions Sophia entered, to which he offered her an internship. When Sophia joined Nicholas Kirkwood's team she was 1 of 3 employees, and when she left the number of employees had grown to around 30. Sophia explains she prefered to join a smaller, upcoming brand, as she could she what challenges entail in growing a brand, and thus acquiring a greater learning experience.
Inspirations and making a splash in the industry
Sophia describes the footwear market at the time of 2012 as having a lot of neutral colours and platforms. Sophia expressed her desire was to stand out with bright colours and single sole shoes, making an immediate impression on the industry and gaining interest. Some of the inspirations behind her collections and styles include; nature, animals, insects, music, art and street environments. Her favourite animal is the flamingo, which is incorporated into her designs frequently along with her favourite colour pink. Sophia joked about her other favourite animal which are pigs, but glad she incorporates the flamingos. A question was raised by the audience why flamingo, to which Sophia explained they have really long and thin legs, and she would start drawing her shoes on them. Sophia stated also her favourite part in her work is mixing colours.
Future aspirations and the makeup of her collections
Bobby gave some great insight into the current state of the company and where they would like to see the company going forward. The company currently employs 40 people which includes store staff. As the recent winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, a plan has been set out in order to grow the business. The main priorities include moving the office and increasing the office space, increasing the number of retail stores, from the standalone store in mayfair, a more expansive website, and establishing the brands place within the luxury market. When asked about the state of Sophia's current office space, she embarrassingly said its very messy, but has great personality and is very colourful. Sophia designs 8 shoe, 4 bag and 2 kids collections per year. She likes to she herself in her collection, and has adapted from only high heels to trainers and flat. She often asks for feedback from customers in her stores along with her employees and creates collections on the responses. Sophia explains, not everyone wishes to wear high heels all day, resulting in her branding into other areas.
The importance of social media
Sophia is a big advocator of social media, and was one of the first designers to use instagram. She explains she used to run the instagram herself, but now has other people run it. She often looks at her followers to see how they wear her designs. Sophia highlights the importance of creating a great image, with one of her photos gaining 3 million hits, whilst others may achieve around 750 thousand hits.
Celebrity fans of Sophia Webster
During the talk Sophia was asked about the celebrities which have worn her shoes and bags. She joking stated she was a huge fan of the girl band Mis-teeq growing up and was in complete awe when singer Alesha Dixon was seen wearing her shoes. Some of her other favorite celebrities which have worn her shoes include Gwen Stefani and Beyonce Knowles.
Sophia Webster Store Visit - Mayfair, London
Once Sophia Webster had finished her industry talk at the London Fashion Weekend, I took the underground from Sloane Square to Green Park (Via Victoria) to visit Sophia's first boutique retail store, which was opened early this year on May 20th (2016). Sophia's store is a short approximately 10 minutes walk from Green Park tube station. The store is located at the end of a small walkthrough, making it a quiet place to shop, away from the busy London streets.
I was really impressed how the store looked from the outside, and stood out from the surroundings. The store features a large glass shop front window, which was draped in a light pink curtain. A large neon butterfly was possition in the middle of the window, with 3 pairs of Sophia's shoes display either side. I really like how the shop front was designed, with Sophia's iconic 'evangeline' on display, and the use of the butterfly she is also known for.
I like the use of the decorative shrubbery outside the shop window, injecting more colour, and it's something different to the other designers stores, which you see in the surrounding areas. Above the storefront window is Sophia Websters logo, along with her initials on a wall fixed projecting sign.
The store is small but looks much bigger inside. The use of the large wall length mirrors, along with how the shoes and accessories are displayed aids in giving a very spacious feel. My first impressions walking through the door was how well the items stood out and how the lighting was used to create a professional yet playful atmosphere. I also have to mention the large lilac, round and padded seat in the middle of the store. Yet another reflection on Sophia's quirky style, which really works well in the store.
The bags were displayed on square padded backboards either side of the room, whilst the shoes and boots were displayed on glass shelves with this unique and beautiful back light pink marble glass. This was on of the things I really liked most about the store, because it looked so unique but also made the shoes stand out, more than the conventional white plain background.
I was even impressed with the sales counter which had mirrored glass with colorful flowers hanging inside from the counter. It's just another touch which is completely different from the standard pay stations in other stores.
My favourite part of the store is the attention to detail Sophia has, from the use of the flamingos as metal decor and ceiling plaster detailing. Sophia even goes as far as adding different brightly coloured hooks for hanging her sholder bags on.
I briefly spoke with the two sales members on duty which were extremely helpful and polite. They interacted with the couple which was present at the time I was there, in light hearted humour, making the customer laugh and smile, creating a great atmosphere.
I would highly recommend visiting Sophia Webster's store, and viewing her amazing designs up close, which look even more impressive in person. I really enjoyed my short time at her store and will certainly visit again to see how she adjusts the layout with future collections.
Store Information
124 Mount Street,
Mount Street Mews,
London,
W1K 3NR
Opening times - Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 6.30pm
Contact Email - mountstreet@sophiawebster.co.uk
Contact Number - 0207 729 7004 and choose option 3
Directions
The two nearest tube stations are;-
Green Park (connections - Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines)
Bond Street (connections - Jubilee and Central lines)
From Green Park - (9 minutes walk)
Store Pictures
Sophia Webster Exclusive Tote Bag
Sophia was the designer for this seasons exclusive tote bag at the London Fashion Weekend event. You can clearly see her influences in the creation of the bag, using her favourite colour (pink), and her love of birds with the beautiful peacock feather print. This tote bag was only available for people attending the event with a silver or higher level ticket.
I had paid to attend a short 20-25 minute talk focusing on Sophia Websters influences, future plans along with a questions and answers session from the audience in attendance. The talk was held on the 2nd floor of the Saatchi Gallery, hosted by fashion stylist Martha Ward. Unfortunately filming the talk was not permitted, but I did take a lot of notes on my notepad, whilst the talk was underway. Sophia was accompanied by her husband Bobby Stockley, which is also the managing director of the company.
Education and meeting Nicholas Kirkwood
Sophia first spoke about her education and what led her to choosing footwear as a career path. Sophia attended college with pursuing art and design in mind. She explained whilst on her college course she started drawing 1 pair of shoes a day, and her famous butterfly wings shoes was one of her earlier designs. Once she had finished college Sophia embarked on a 4 years degree course in footwear, followed by a 2 years masters. Within this time period Sophia entered every competition going. Around 2009/2010 upcoming footwear designer Nicholas Kirkwood was a judge at one of the competitions Sophia entered, to which he offered her an internship. When Sophia joined Nicholas Kirkwood's team she was 1 of 3 employees, and when she left the number of employees had grown to around 30. Sophia explains she prefered to join a smaller, upcoming brand, as she could she what challenges entail in growing a brand, and thus acquiring a greater learning experience.
Inspirations and making a splash in the industry
Sophia describes the footwear market at the time of 2012 as having a lot of neutral colours and platforms. Sophia expressed her desire was to stand out with bright colours and single sole shoes, making an immediate impression on the industry and gaining interest. Some of the inspirations behind her collections and styles include; nature, animals, insects, music, art and street environments. Her favourite animal is the flamingo, which is incorporated into her designs frequently along with her favourite colour pink. Sophia joked about her other favourite animal which are pigs, but glad she incorporates the flamingos. A question was raised by the audience why flamingo, to which Sophia explained they have really long and thin legs, and she would start drawing her shoes on them. Sophia stated also her favourite part in her work is mixing colours.
Future aspirations and the makeup of her collections
Bobby gave some great insight into the current state of the company and where they would like to see the company going forward. The company currently employs 40 people which includes store staff. As the recent winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, a plan has been set out in order to grow the business. The main priorities include moving the office and increasing the office space, increasing the number of retail stores, from the standalone store in mayfair, a more expansive website, and establishing the brands place within the luxury market. When asked about the state of Sophia's current office space, she embarrassingly said its very messy, but has great personality and is very colourful. Sophia designs 8 shoe, 4 bag and 2 kids collections per year. She likes to she herself in her collection, and has adapted from only high heels to trainers and flat. She often asks for feedback from customers in her stores along with her employees and creates collections on the responses. Sophia explains, not everyone wishes to wear high heels all day, resulting in her branding into other areas.
The importance of social media
Sophia is a big advocator of social media, and was one of the first designers to use instagram. She explains she used to run the instagram herself, but now has other people run it. She often looks at her followers to see how they wear her designs. Sophia highlights the importance of creating a great image, with one of her photos gaining 3 million hits, whilst others may achieve around 750 thousand hits.
Celebrity fans of Sophia Webster
During the talk Sophia was asked about the celebrities which have worn her shoes and bags. She joking stated she was a huge fan of the girl band Mis-teeq growing up and was in complete awe when singer Alesha Dixon was seen wearing her shoes. Some of her other favorite celebrities which have worn her shoes include Gwen Stefani and Beyonce Knowles.
Sophia Webster Store Visit - Mayfair, London
Once Sophia Webster had finished her industry talk at the London Fashion Weekend, I took the underground from Sloane Square to Green Park (Via Victoria) to visit Sophia's first boutique retail store, which was opened early this year on May 20th (2016). Sophia's store is a short approximately 10 minutes walk from Green Park tube station. The store is located at the end of a small walkthrough, making it a quiet place to shop, away from the busy London streets.
I was really impressed how the store looked from the outside, and stood out from the surroundings. The store features a large glass shop front window, which was draped in a light pink curtain. A large neon butterfly was possition in the middle of the window, with 3 pairs of Sophia's shoes display either side. I really like how the shop front was designed, with Sophia's iconic 'evangeline' on display, and the use of the butterfly she is also known for.
I like the use of the decorative shrubbery outside the shop window, injecting more colour, and it's something different to the other designers stores, which you see in the surrounding areas. Above the storefront window is Sophia Websters logo, along with her initials on a wall fixed projecting sign.
The store is small but looks much bigger inside. The use of the large wall length mirrors, along with how the shoes and accessories are displayed aids in giving a very spacious feel. My first impressions walking through the door was how well the items stood out and how the lighting was used to create a professional yet playful atmosphere. I also have to mention the large lilac, round and padded seat in the middle of the store. Yet another reflection on Sophia's quirky style, which really works well in the store.
The bags were displayed on square padded backboards either side of the room, whilst the shoes and boots were displayed on glass shelves with this unique and beautiful back light pink marble glass. This was on of the things I really liked most about the store, because it looked so unique but also made the shoes stand out, more than the conventional white plain background.
I was even impressed with the sales counter which had mirrored glass with colorful flowers hanging inside from the counter. It's just another touch which is completely different from the standard pay stations in other stores.
My favourite part of the store is the attention to detail Sophia has, from the use of the flamingos as metal decor and ceiling plaster detailing. Sophia even goes as far as adding different brightly coloured hooks for hanging her sholder bags on.
I briefly spoke with the two sales members on duty which were extremely helpful and polite. They interacted with the couple which was present at the time I was there, in light hearted humour, making the customer laugh and smile, creating a great atmosphere.
I would highly recommend visiting Sophia Webster's store, and viewing her amazing designs up close, which look even more impressive in person. I really enjoyed my short time at her store and will certainly visit again to see how she adjusts the layout with future collections.
Store Information
124 Mount Street,
Mount Street Mews,
London,
W1K 3NR
Opening times - Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 6.30pm
Contact Email - mountstreet@sophiawebster.co.uk
Contact Number - 0207 729 7004 and choose option 3
Directions
The two nearest tube stations are;-
Green Park (connections - Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines)
Bond Street (connections - Jubilee and Central lines)
From Green Park - (9 minutes walk)
From Bond Street - (7 minutes walk)
Sophia was the designer for this seasons exclusive tote bag at the London Fashion Weekend event. You can clearly see her influences in the creation of the bag, using her favourite colour (pink), and her love of birds with the beautiful peacock feather print. This tote bag was only available for people attending the event with a silver or higher level ticket.
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