Caterina Belluardo: luxury footwear made in London

Caterina Belluardo is a Sicilian designer who lives and works in London. She graduated from Cordwainers College in 2009, then gained a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art in 2013 specialising in mens’ fashion footwear. 

I stumbled across her work at Best of Britannia and was attracted to the colours, shapes and patterns; Caterina has interpreted the man's shoe in a new and original way. There's something for every man, however bold or traditional your tastes. To be different, find out more, to buy or to commission a bespoke pair, go to the website here.

Henry's Shoes: Grey Fox talks to the founder of a new British-made footwear label

I'm always excited to hear from new menswear brands. While this blog is by no means focused on British-made labels, it's always particularly interesting to hear from young entrepreneurs starting out with new enterprises in the UK. 

Henry Davis is the founder of Henry's Shoes and he's answered a few questions to give us some flavour of the excitement and challenges of setting out on the launch of a new brand. To find out more, support Henry and buy his (men's and women's) shoes, visit his website here. You can read the interview below.

Tell us about the business.

Henry’s is a range of British-made suede shoes designed for those who appreciate the classic styles and aren’t afraid of adding colour. All the shoes are available exclusively online and everything down to the shoe bags are all made in the UK. 

How did you get started? 

I’d had the idea for a few years but didn’t even consider it would be something I’d pursue whilst at University. Having left though in 2012 I started considering other options, I had this gut feeling that I wanted to try my own thing. For the next few months I did some research into potential manufacturers and believed that it would be possible but it would take some time! Having done History and Politics as a degree I wasn’t best suited for a fashion retail start-up and so everyday I had to teach myself what would be required to put a business model together. As this was going on I was also ordering samples, and it proved very difficult not to get carried away with the excitement of receiving each new potential Henry’s shoe whilst tackling the endless financial forecasts and describing my ideal target market! These processes proved to be invaluable though as I managed to secure funding to put my first order in at the beginning of this year and I haven’t really looked back since. 

Where are your shoes made?

I’ve got a wonderful family-run manufacturer in Northamptonshire that has been in business for 130 years or so. At the very beginning when I approached them I didn’t think they’d be willing to work with an inexperienced young start-up with a low starting order. However, they reassured me straight away that they have always loved taking on new business and helping young brands. It was remarkable to hear it at the time and from there they held my hand through each and every process of design and I’ve been extremely fortunate. 

How important is the British-made and designed aspect of the product to you?

It was absolutely essential to the brand. If I hadn’t been able to secure a British manufacturer I wouldn’t have pursued with the idea. I have always been a fan of British-made footwear and truly believed that there was a space for a young brand that utilises one of Britain’s most prestigious industries. Both the designs and the craftsmanship in each process, reveal just how much talent there is on our own shores and I think that should be showcased. I also wanted to encourage spending a little more on British made footwear because they represent real value for money and ultimately last far longer than a number of foreign imports. Furthermore by buying British our consumer is supporting our own businesses and boosting our manufacturing sectors, which were once so revered. 

Who and where are your main markets? How would you like to see these develop?

With all of the different creative industries now, it seems young professionals are no longer restricted by dark suits and black oxfords, and with this I think there has been an explosion of demand for ‘smart casual’ options. I put Henry’s as an alternative to the black and brown everyday wear, something that offers a bit of personality and individualism. I think Grenson are truly leading the way with adapting modern elements to old designs, especially with their use of metallic coloured leathers and chunky platform soles. Their success over the past two years just goes to show that the market for young professionals is expanding for British manufacturers. I wanted Henry’s to stay truer to the styles of the classics and so they’re not quite as adventurous as Grenson, but I think we share a lot of the same ideals. 

Henry's makes women's shoes too

How would you like to see the business develop?

I’d like Henry’s to develop online for the first year or two and look to start finding stockists. I’ve got quite a few ideas for a leather holdall bag range that I’d like to introduce. All made in England still! I’m learning everyday as trading continues and I’d love to think about opening a shop within 5 years or so. Long way off though and I’m just thrilled to be getting the name out there at the moment and gauging people’s reactions. 

What have been the particular challenges?

Retailing online certainly has its perks and I think I would have struggled to start without it but it also means your website is the only shop window you have. Therefore bringing footfall through the site is totally dependant on you and your media plan. With a fairly limited budget, doing this organically has meant quite a few fruitless hours at the keyboard! It’s all part of the process though I think and I’ve already learnt from a few mistakes.

What inspires you in driving the business?

I think knowing the hours that I’ve put into it to get to this point means there really is no option to fail. Putting my name on a brand and being the sole-decision maker means you can’t shy away from anything and I quite like that pressure. If things don’t get done then the business loses out and so do I. It has given me a work ethic that I’ve never had before and I’m relishing it. 

What have been your favourite moments in running the business?

Without a doubt receiving all my stock after my first order. Standing in the stock room with stacks of yellow boxes all filled with my shoes and branded with my logo. It was actual tangible prove of what I had been working toward for 18 months. There was something so uncertain about the future that I found incredibly exciting and just wanted to get on with it.

Henry's Shoes for men and women, priced from £175.

Bodileys shoes - made in Northampton

It's always a pleasure to meet owners of well-established British menswear businesses, particularly those which have family links over several generations. I recently met Sarah Dudley of Bodileys, who has recently launched a 'London Collection' of English-made shoes, some of which I show here.

Sarah told me that Bodileys was established in 1919, originally the leading retail shop in Northampton supplying shoes from local manufacturer’s such as Crockett and Jones, Alfred Sargent and Cheaney. Sarah Dudley, fourth generation of the family business, led the move into export and online sales and recently the launch of their own brand, the ‘London Collection’.

John Garner joined Bodileys in 2012 as designer. A well-known figure in the industry, he brought great experience to the company. Formerly of Edward Green (retirement didn’t totally suit him!), his passion, expertise and extensive knowledge in the design and construction of shoes was the perfect fit with Sarah’s dream to launch a collection of shoes that are classic with smooth clean lines and superb quality at affordable prices of around £345.

Sarah was keen that the ‘London Collection’ should be made in England to carry on the heritage, reputation and prestige of Goodyear Welted shoes. The shoes have been made by Cheaney under the very keen eye of both John and Sarah. Cheaney has been under the ownership of two of the Church family members for the past 3 years. They bought the company back from Prada, owners of Church and Cheaney since the 1990’s. 

It was of greatest importance to source the very best calf leather and other materials, the last shapes were chosen with careful consideration and extensive research to give utmost comfort, they come up true to the UK sizing system, meaning that each customer would require their same UK size for all the styles.

Sarah obviously has great ambitions for Bodileys and, although they will continue to supply other makes of shoes such as Crockett and Jones and Alfred Sargent, she plans to develop the Bodileys brand to offer great English made shoes of beautiful design at competitive prices. Having grown up surrounded by shoes, she clearly knows much about men’s shoes and John Garner has become an invaluable member of the development team.

I was impressed by the variety in the range, but Sarah and John will be adding more styles in the coming months to give customers a greater range of choice. Sarah also mentioned that she “particularly enjoys interacting with customer’s queries and is always available to discuss and advise on individual requirements”, so do get in touch with them if you're after any particular design, size or style. Click here to see The London Collection. 

I was really impressed by Sarah's pride in the collection. She showed me many of the shoes. Not only are they beautifully made, but she was keen to seek my thoughts and suggestions, even though I know nothing about shoes, she is very keen to elicit consumer ideas and responses.

For more about Bodileys click here.