Party comfort built in
SPARKLING party heels, once mere fantasy footwear but now a feasible choice for women with bunions, are set to be a big winner this Christmas for Sole Bliss, the British shoe and comfort specialist.
The lifestyle-changing brand, created with unique foot bed technology by accessories expert Lisa Kay, is forecasting a £2 million turnover in 2020 as it starts to make strides internationally in the new year with a dedicated US website.
Hereditary factors and childbirth are the main causes of bunions, a condition affecting 10 million people, primarily women, in the UK.
Dread of the severe pain caused by ill-fitting shoes and confidence-killing dowdy designs have turned many into Cinderellas, sitting out festivities or facing agony when on their feet for hours.
A bunion sufferer herself, Kay’s mission was to free women from this fate.Already running an established luxury brand, Lisa Kay Shoes, that stood her and husband Roger in good stead over the five years it took to develop sister label Sole Bliss.
It launched in 2017 and now has 100 lines. A favourite of females in all walks of life, famous tootsies spotted sporting the brand include Dame Helen Mirren and the Duchess of Cornwall.
The core of its success is its patentpending technology, explains Kay, who saw an under-catered for market. “Our innovation comprises three distinct underfoot layers of memory foam for shock absorbency, contouring round the foot and cushioning it entirely.”
An interior stretch panel called the Bunion Bed accommodates bunions and wide feet, while also stopping the pressure resulting from toe gripping, a common reaction among sufferers who try to find comfort by buying bigger sizes. There is also a device to counter the inward rolling of the foot, another factor exacerbating bunions.
Produced in Spain, the products are distributed from the UK to more than 40 countries.
“Each pair passes through a minimum of 50 hands during production. Our process requires huge attention to detail,” says Kay.
Changing social attitudes too are favouring Sole Bliss, which employs a team of 14.
The heightened awareness about comfort among all ages is a recent one – witness the popularity of trainers – and people are more open too about body problems. Sole Bliss’s dedicated US website emphasises that comfortplus aspect and customers will be served from the UK initially.
The brand, which receives weekly deliveries, operates on a continuous unveiling of new styles basis so stock remains cross-seasonal.
And toes are sure to keep twinkling in 2020 with more heels, boots, wedges and flats in the pipeline.
“The look is more embellished,” says Kay, “and for any woman to enjoy.”