Hotfoots it to Mayfair - Mayfair Times

40
fashion
“I’ve a nostalgia for
the 1940s and 1950s
and that’s the feel of
my shoe collection.
They are quite
classic shapes but
I have a lot of fun
playing with colours,
prints and textures”
Charlotte Dellal
I wanted to go into,” she says. “In the beginning, it was clothing
but then, as I developed, I got into corsetry and, after doing my
foundation course, decided on shoes.
“There’s something special about designing shoes – you are
building something three-dimensional. And they are the kind of
things I believe you can have on display – they are works of art. I
collect old, beautiful shoes – I have a pair framed upstairs. But
also, I don’t know a woman who doesn’t like shoes. When I buy
a pair of shoes, even if I’ve got nowhere to wear them, I’ll walk
around in them all day.”
Charlotte was drawn to the glamorous world of fashion from
an early age, as was her sister Alice, a model and investor in a
jewellery business. “I got into it because of my mother I guess,”
says Charlotte. “Seeing all the pretty things, the dresses and the
fashion shows, I just wanted to be a part of it. But funnily
enough, I always wanted to be part of the other side. I liked it
backstage – everybody getting ready – rather than me being the
one wearing the clothes. It’s the creative side I’ve always loved,
but I am very interested in the business side of things.”
So, has she picked up a few tips from her dad along the
way? “I try to learn from him,” she says. “If I don’t understand
things or need help, I’ll ask him or my husband [private equity
dealer Maxim Crewe].
“I wouldn’t say I’m a super businesswoman, but this is first
and foremost a business. I think it is very important because it’s
all very well making pretty things but if you don’t have a business
plan, it doesn’t really work. But I’m enjoying the challenge and I’m
learning as I go along.”
Charlotte hopes to open more stores in the future but for now
is content to grow the brand slowly. She plans to broaden the
range of shoes to include more flat styles and lower heels, as well
as offer a range of clutch bags and hosiery to match the shoes
for next season.
She says she’d love to see a few more individual boutiques
along the street. “These buildings are beautiful – they are all
unique and old,” she says. “It would be nice to have a hat shop
or a flower shop or an old-fashioned chocolate shop. I’ve got this
romantic idea of it being like that.”
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