Shoes are a part of the wedding attire that brides are starting to prioritise more and more. It is no longer “just about the dress” – but about the complete look. Whether it’s her jewellery or her footwear; accessories help a bride to put her own stamp on her wedding, allowing her personality to shine. We therefore could not be more thrilled to announce the arrival of our newest shoe designer “Emmy London”. To celebrate, we sat down with Emmy herself, to discuss everything from inspiration to the design process. Click below to read our exclusive interview!

Hi Emmy. Thank you for joining us today. We are so excited to be official stockists of your shoe collection! Can you tell us a little about Emmy London and how your shoe designing career began?

One of my very first memories is actually from when I was about two, we lived in a house with a flagstone floor, my mum is almost six foot – quite modelesque in stature so she didn’t really need heels. Therefore we had nothing to play dress up and clip clop around in, so I used to put building blocks in my socks to create my own high heels and I absolutely fell in love with that “clip-clop” noise on the hard floor. In honesty I think that’s where my real passion for shoes and my drive to make a career out of designing shoes really began all those years ago.

What inspires you to design a new collection?

It is quite ironic but it is never actually shoes that inspire me, my inspiration reference points can really vary so much. It is normally unintentional and just happens to be something around me that really captures my attention and inspires me. The latest Porto collection is inspired by the beautiful and intricate Portuguese tiles that adorn all of the walls, window and door frames in Porto which is a city I love and visit very often as it is where our workshop is located.

Previously I have been inspired by Italian Gates whilst on a fairly chaotic holiday that didn’t really go to plan! We had to walk a long way up and down this lane everyday to get basic supplies. Along the lane were lots of dilapidated gates overgrown with leaves and weeds, this really inspired my Cancello collection. Our Florence shoe – which incorporates a sash bow (and is currently having a rebirth in the collection), was originally inspired by a cushion that I found in my Grandma’s attic. I recently visited the Pierre Bonnard exhibition at the Tate Modern and I was so captivated by his use of colour so I imagine that will inspire our use of colour for the summer edit.

Photography by Mark Colliton London UK

Who if anyone has influenced your design aesthetic?

I have to say that the brand is such a personal presentation that it feels very indulgent but I don’t really follow fashion as such, I create pieces that I personally love. This has worked really well so far so I plan to continue with that ethos!

What makes designing a wedding shoe different to an everyday shoe?

Wedding shoes on an emotional level represent so much meaning and memory, so in a kind of magical way I have to think about how the shoe is going to capture someone’s heart. I really want our brides to fall in love with their shoes and be so excited to put them on the morning of their wedding. To be an item that they really treasure and are precious about and really treat them as an heirloom – keep them, wear them again and have photos of them. I try and capture that magical moment of falling in love with the balance of creating something that is really enjoyable to wear. I am mindful of the fact that a wedding shoe really needs to be comfortable and have an element of practicality… which is kind of an unsexy term but actually you are going to be wearing these shoes for at least 12 hours of nonstop standing, walking, kneeling, dancing, going up and down stairs – so I try and make sure that all of the shoes feel secure and comfortable. Comfort really comes from being balanced in shoes; so when we develop new shapes and heel heights, balance is always at the core of our design development to ensure that the wearer is really having a great time wearing them. So that is the real difference in designing for a special ocassion like a wedding as opposed to an everyday shoe – so much more consideration goes into the wearer and the experience.

How has the wedding shoe changed over the years?

I personally feel that wedding shoe fashion has evolved quite dramatically over the last fifteen years. It has more of a fashion led focus nowadays and there is more scope for choice and self-expression. There is more use of colour and detail now and there is definitely more emphasis on shoe shopping as a part of the whole experience of planning your wedding. It is a really special part of the wedding planning because it is such a personal moment.

Can you pick your favourite style from your current bridal collection?

I personally really love the Clara shoe. It is a super sexy silhouette. It is a style that I have evolved over quite some time to get the fit and the feel right so that it is comfortable but still sexy. We have lots of different shoe clips in the collection that you can add to it so you can really dress it up and dress it down. It really is a “go-to” staple, not just in bridal but in other colours – a staple for your shoe wardrobe.

Photography by Mark Colliton London UK

Do you offer a bespoke service of any kind to your brides?

Our bespoke service is an integral part of our offering that we really pride ourselves on and it is something that we have become really well known for. We offer a really extensive service that results in you creating your dream shoes for your big day! If a bride is not very creative or good at visualising things it is not something to be intimidated by, as it’s very much a process that we walk you through step-by-step. We first focus on the shape and silhouette, then we look at heel heights – we have lots of heel heights and shapes in our collection to choose from and I always advise brides to stay within their comfort zone. We then move on to the more creative side of things so we look at colour and detail to really make the shoes unique for your big day.

Thank you so much, Emmy. We are so excited to introduce your shoes to our brides.

Emmy London shoes are now available to try on in Browns Bride. No appointment necessary!

Photography by Mark Colliton London UK

Website: ​www.emmylondon.com

Instagram: @emmylondonofficial @emmyscarterfield