IN 2008, shoe designer Sarah Riley
was hailed as up-and-coming. She had three successful seasons under
her belt, eight stockists in New Zealand and was acclaimed by the
likes of ex-supermodel Gail Elliot and multiple media channels to
be ‘extraordinary’, but after a series of bad debtors and spells
of serious ill health, she stopped producing shoes.
A fine arts graduate, Riley launched her label with
the intention of creating fashion-forward designs that were different,
edgy, and were an extension of her personality. ‘I did not know
anyone in the industry when I started out, but I researched and
over time have made contacts; yet I went into business somewhat
naïve,’ says Riley. ‘I truly believed that other businesses
would behave and conduct themselves with integrity and deal in an
honest manner,’ she says. ‘Unfortunately I learned that instead,
a couple companies I was working with were corrupt and had no qualms
about behaving in a duplicitous way.’
It was one such company that Riley believes killed
her business with one foul stroke. ‘I was literally forced to stop
designing,’ she says. ‘After making an order worth several thousands
of dollars I was left high and dry by a stockist and my business
could not go forward,’ she says. ‘I had no capital and was under
immense pressure trying to recover the money owed to me.’ Riley
felt alone in a David v. Goliath situation. ‘It was one person against
a whole company that suddenly turned incredibly nasty,’ she says.
‘The stress caused me to get very worn out and was the pretext to
getting so run down that I lost my health, my business and a mentor
all at once.’
Summoning her courage, Riley made the decision to
restart her business in early 2010—albeit in a different way from
before, conscious of the lessons of the past 24 months. ‘Despite
everything, there were some people who supported me through these
experiences, and I felt a strong enough in their ongoing belief
in me to take another run at it,’ she says.
The first thing to change is that Riley will initially
sell exclusively online, unless potential stockists approach her.
‘I adored being with stockists,’ she says. ‘But starting by only
selling online means I get to prove something to myself, and to
potential wholesale accounts, too—that if you come up against a
dead end, you turn around and try another road.’
There will only be a limited amount of each design
available for customers to purchase, and once stock and sizes of
a certain style is gone, it is gone. ‘My decision to make her designs
limited edition was an easy one,’ says Riley. ‘My reasoning is,
women want to feel special, they want to feel their purchase is
unique and so they want to buy a pair of shoes and know that they
are one of the only people wearing that style,’ she says.
As an added bonus, each time a customer purchases
a pair of Sarah Riley shoes, they are entitled to a discount on
a second pair; if a second pair is purchased a third pair can be
bought at an even further discounted price. ‘I want to reward all
of my customers and show them I appreciate them!’ says Riley.
In addition, Riley will be a champion of open business
dealings. ‘It is important to me as a person and as a business woman
to conduct myself and my business honestly and with integrity,’
she says. ‘So I will only be working with people who also believe
that so that both of our enterprises will prosper,’ she says. ‘I
believe that what you give out you get back.’
The collection will comprise of everything that Riley
became so known for. ‘All that has happened since I first started
my business comes from who I am as a person and what experiences
have shaped me,’ she says. ‘My designs are my own; I do not simply
copy something directly and put my name on it,’ she says. ‘Everything
is carefully thought through, from the leathers to the shape and
componentry, the heel heights, the way the shoe is designed so it
flatters … I simply think about women and how they want to feel
wearing my shoes.’
The autumnwinter 2011 collection sees a return
to a neutral colour palette of creams, black and taupe highlighted
with accents of gold, while shapes are classical with a twist. Stand-out
pieces from the cohesive collection are the Nouveau Déco
heel, based on the elegant lines of the 1920s and 1930s’ art-déco
movement: it comes in choice of either gold and black snakeskin
or natural snakeskin. The Koru heel will be a welcome editon to
any shoe fiend’s collection: beautifully designed koru in
snakeskin is matched with a ruffle detailing at the back of the
heel symbolizing the unfurled fernleaf. The classic ballet flat
is reinvented this winter in luxurious snakeskin; dream of genies
and magic carpet rides while wearing the Jasmine slipper.
Has the playing field changed since Riley was last
in the game? ‘For sure,’ she says. Since her departure from the
market, more New Zealand designers have launched their own footwear
brands, while other existing labels have picked up their game. ‘I
was always happy to observe that from the sidelines, as I do feel
I had some influence,’ she says. ‘When I initially came into the
market there was no high fashion footwear being designed, and it
felt good to know I had started something.’
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