Last updated on May 9th, 2024 at 06:24 am
Iris Anson owner of ‘Solely Original’ has her own private office in East London where she is able to create custom-made shoes fit perfectly for her clients.
‘Solely Original’ has brought the design choice and unique fit of made-to-measure shoes online. Based in Tower Hamlets, and a private office in East London, they have developed an online platform so that you can experience the services without having to leave the comfort of your home.
By using the innovative 3D Fitting Sock and foot scanner, they can create custom-made shoes that fit you perfectly. Using the website’s design engine, an image of your design is only a click of fingers away. All you have to do is select the shoe and heel style, the materials and the colours. With us, getting your bespoke dream shoes is easy.
Here’s our interview with Iris!
What made you decide to start ‘Solely Original’?
“What is your inspiration to make your own shoes?”
I believe modern women should live life on their own terms wherever we can, so when it comes to footwear choices, comfort and style are both important and we don’t want to compromise either, so what’s better than designing our own shoes?
What projects are you working on at the moment?
We have some really exciting projects going on at the moment, in particular we’re working with Ruqsana Begum who is a professional boxer and WKA world Muay Thai champion. Together we’re aiming to empower and inspire women, and challenge the narrative of what women are capable of.
“What has been your biggest milestone since starting the business?”
There have been many milestones so far and it’s hard to say which one is the biggest, but one of them is our feature by The Telegraph where the editor tested shoes from a few different brands and our shoes were rated at the top 5 out of 5 stars.
“What message would you like to share with women about your shoes?”
The reason you can’t wear high heels is not because of your feet, the problem is with the shoes!
What is your favourite thing about running your own business?
“Why should we buy made to measure shoes?”
“What is unique about your brand?”
“What would you say to someone starting out in your industry?”
“What would you like to see more of in your industry?”
“How has the business managed during COVID-19?”
There were minor delays initially due to shipment and production interruptions but we quickly adapted our work environment and managed to stay on top of our customer requests!
“What has been the biggest challenge you have overcome in your business?”
Building a fashion brand without a big budget is very challenging. It’s all about the details – on the website, packaging, communications and everything else to create the right brand image, and of course, hiring the best professionals to work on these elements comes at a cost. Most consumers are unaware of what is involved in delivering a custom-made product, with customer service, shoemakers, logistics, designers and a technical team, so we are always bootstrapping to keep our products affordable. We cannot cut corners, however, as providing just a “good” product will no longer satisfy modern consumers – we need to “wow” them!
“What is one thing you constantly struggle with?”
I personally don’t have any struggles, because I believe if you give a girl the right shoes (plus continuous learning and hard work), then she can conquer the world!
“How did you get involved with Smart Works Charity, and tell us what you did with them.”
During COVID, we were actively looking for an initiative to support, then we came across Smart Works Charity that supports underprivileged women going back to work and we instantly felt very in line with our female empowerment brand story so we donated about 70 pairs of our shoes to them.