The Interview: Sau Noddings, Co-founder, Shoenvious

Luxury shoe brand, Shoenvious gives shoppers the option to customise their shoes using an online 3D platform. Shoppers can customise each inch of their shoe using 100 plus colours and materials, design mismatching shoes and add an inscription. Each pair is made-to-order and then shipped worldwide.

The fashion industry has often excluded women with larger and smaller shoe sizes. Recognising this gap in the market, Shoenvious launched a size-inclusive line (US 2-14) for women who fall outside the range that standard shoe brands serve.

The brand is changing the way consumers shop for shoes by giving the freedom to create a personalised pair that is fully tailor-made and customised – at fair prices. Shoenvious’ direct-to-consumer model eliminates unnecessary markups and it says it redirects traditional retail overhead costs into the quality of its products.

Co-founder of Shoenvious, Sau Noddings tells TheIndustry.fashion more:

Could you tell us a little bit about your background?

I started my career in TV and radio and later in events and exhibitions. I was always shoe-crazy and was always on the hunt for beautiful and comfortable shoes. The idea of Shoenvious was developed 11 years ago, after the horrible experience of scouring the shops for months looking for shoes to match my wedding dress.

When did you launch and what was the response like?

The beta version of our website was released in 2019. We launched with an online shoe designer that was so sophisticated, it actually allowed the customer to change the full design of the shoes, heels, back style, front style, etc.

Watching customers use the site made us realise that when they’re given the power to fully customise their shoe during the design process, they found this to be overwhelming and confusing. It lengthened the conversion process and, sometimes, became a barrier to sales.

We have made several iterations to the online shoe designer since and when we reduced the complexity of the shoe design process, we saw a huge conversion growth. Whilst a lot of options was a nice proposition, it was fewer choices that gets customers to buy quicker.

What is your brand DNA?

We are an innovative and modern brand that likes to move the boundaries. We embrace self-expression, women empowerment and diversity.

We're changing the way women shop for shoes by giving her the freedom to create a personalised pair that's tailored to her needs. When you order a pair from Shoenvious, you’re not only purchasing a product, you’re in control of the whole design experience.

Excellent product quality and attentive customer experience are cornerstones of our business model and brand.

Who is your target audience?

Our customers are idealistic, career-oriented women of the Lean In variety. She is very discerning, uncompromising and dresses to impress but she doesn’t want to spend her free time poring over the pages of Vogue… She is very short on time, and don’t have the energy to shop.

She values timeless, understated sophisticated pieces with a high-fashion pedigree.

Shoenvious is available in more than 80 countries, including the UK. What does your brand bring to the UK market?

We give women access to over 300 styles, 100 materials and billions of design possibilities at a few clicks of a button.

Often you find a shoe that you like but you’re confronted with the harsh realities of limited inventory, colours and sizes. We want to remove the pain points and the physical and emotional rollercoaster of shoe-shopping by empowering customers to customise their own footwear.

We’re democratising bespoke luxury and offer designer, handmade shoes at a fraction of traditional prices. And because of our direct-to-consumer model, we are able to eliminate unnecessary markups and redirect traditional retail overhead costs into the quality of our products.

How does the Shoenvious custom design process work?

To get started, simply visit the Shoenvious website and begin the customisation process by inputting your shoe size, preferred heel height and then selecting a shoe style. From there you can customise each inch of the shoe - the upper, interiors and outsole - from 100+ colours and materials, design mismatching shoes, and add a unique inscription.

Our online designer visualises your shoe design, so you will know how the material and colour combination will look even before your shoes are made. The designer also has the ability to rotate the shoe 360 degrees so you can inspect your design from all angles.

Once you complete your order, each pair is handmade and shipped worldwide in 4-8 weeks.

Every pair is also backed by a 100% size guarantee which means that if your ordered the wrong size, they will be remade a size up or down free-of-charge.

Are you seeing that customers are now looking for new footwear – for going out and going on holiday –as lockdowns around the globe being to ease?

I don’t think women have stopped shopping or browsing for fashion online! We have seen an increasing demand for stylish but wearable shoes.

How has the Shoenvious direct-to-consumer website been performing throughout this uncertain period?

We have shifted our marketing efforts towards bridal shoes during the lockdown and we’ve seen 30% more traffic across our site, higher sign ups and higher conversion rates. Covid has also forced consumers to try different brands and try different retailers. Due to traditional brick-and-mortar stores shutting down, we have been able to capture customers who would not typically shop for shoes online.

How has Shoenvious been adapting to such challenging times?

Large global brands have deferred or reduced their digital marketing spend, and this was an opportunity for small brands like us to purchase ad inventory at a lower price.

At the height of COVID, we’ve experienced minor hiccups with our supply chain. We work with a lot of small-scale suppliers who have had to pause operations or close down. Fortunately, we’ve been able to find new suppliers that was able to provide quality components at short notice. So, whilst we have had to source supplies at a slightly higher cost, the ability to deliver to our customers to quality and without delay was invaluable.

Where is the current footwear market heading?

A trend that we’re seeing intensify is “more-responsible consumption”. Customers are becoming more mindful and they’re buying less and buying better quality. 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced each year. 90% of which end up in landfills and take 30-50 years to fully decompose. Our made-to-order approach is unarguably kinder to the planet.

There is also a movement towards omnichannel retailing and making marketing more efficient with offers that are relative to a specific consumer determined by purchase patterns, social network affinities, website visits, loyalty programmes, and other data mining techniques.

What’s next for Shoenvious?

We are in the middle of rolling out improvements to our online shoe customiser so shoes and materials being showcased on the website look more realistic, enhancing the customer experience of designing their shoes on our platform.

We’re also heavily focusing on the $300 billion bridal industry.

What advice would you give to anyone starting a fashion brand?

Don’t be a product for everyone. Identify your tribe. Offer them something different. Create a remarkable product. Focus on building trust in you brand. And then tell your story in a way that’s authentic and personable.