A Step Ahead: Celebrating Success with the Drapers Footwear Awards 2018

Top fashion publication, Drapers, has recently announced their shortlist for the 2018 Footwear Awards, and we’re very pleased to report that a few of our customers have made the cut!

Joining the fray are Norfolk-based luxury lifestyle brand, Fairfax & Favor, couture shoe designer, Freya Rose, and innovative kids shoe brand, Bobux.

At Brightpearl, we always love hearing about and celebrating our customers’ successes. So as soon as we received news about the shortlist, we wanted to share it ahead of the highly anticipated awards night on June 5, 2018, in London.

We also wanted to find out more from each brand on what they put this tremendous success down to. Here’s what we found out…

Kids Footwear Brand of the Year Nominee: Bobux

Leading the way in iconic footwear design for children, Bobux firmly believe the world would be a better place if children’s shoes were both healthy and awesome looking.

This is why Bobux are committed to being experts in foot development and ensuring that there is a shoe to meet the needs of children both developmentally and aesthetically. Over the years, Bobux have partnered with podiatrists and foot specialists from around the world to ensure their shoes not only look great, but feel great and are healthy additions to children’s feet.

The team have evolved their three ranges: ‘Play’ (performance driven), ‘Street’ (trend driven) and ‘Craft’ (artistry and craftsmanship driven), whilst always ensuring that science and design are working harmoniously together.

Now nominated as ‘Kids Footwear Brand of the Year’ at the Drapers Footwear Awards 2018, we’re confident it’s this approach that has brought them such success.

Bobux say:

“We endeavor to get to know our customers. We ask them questions, visit their homes, and invite them to be part of our design process. We strive to learn more; to be experts in foot development and design shoes that are actually good for kids. And we love doing it.”

Footwear Designer of the Year Nominee: Freya Rose

Freya Rose is no stranger to high-caliber industry awards, thanks to her innovative approach to couture shoe design.

Born into a family of fine art jewelers, she combines this background with her love of high quality footwear, which results in bejeweled and opulent designs made from only the most unique, delicate and luxurious materials, such as freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystal and Mother of Pearl.

And it’s this approach that has seen Freya Rose shortlisted for the highly coveted award of ‘Footwear Designer of the Year’.

We asked the company to comment on this success, to which they replied:

“Freya Rose is thrilled to have been announced as a nominee for the prestigious Footwear Designer of the Year award with Drapers. We feel this success can be attributed to Freya Rose’s designs injecting a new level of luxury into the industry, stemming from her passion of combining fine jewelry and shoemaking.”

“Her collections are carefully and considerately developed to ensure the end product is truly one-of-a-kind. Freya understands the need to be aware of her clients – incorporating on-trend elements in her designs whilst maintaining the true essence of the Freya Rose identity; consistent innovative design, ethical craftsmanship and a deep understanding of the footwear industry.”

Best Online Footwear Business Nominee: Fairfax & Favor

Launched in 2013, luxury footwear and accessories brand, Fairfax & Favor, pride themselves on craftsmanship and innovation.

They’ve taken the three pillars of luxury (style, comfort and quality) and made them accessible, bridging not just the gap between casual and formal, countryside and city, but also between style and adventure.

In their words: “We are the start of your next adventure, whether it be a few steps through town or a thousand miles across the unknown.”

And this innovative approach to luxury footwear has not gone unnoticed, with Drapers nominating them for ‘Best Online Footwear Business’ in the upcoming awards.

We asked Fairfax & Favor to comment on this excellent news, to which they replied:

“It is a massive honor for us to be nominated, the perfect reward for our amazingly dedicated and energetic team; everyone has worked incredibly hard to get us to where we are today. We would put our successes down to not only a great product, but the strength of our fabulous team, and in particular our fantastic customer services department.”

And with that, we wish each of our customers the best of luck! I’m sure we’ll be back with more news if they walk away with these coveted awards, so stay tuned…