Alexander White — Voix Meets Mode

Founded in 2014, luxury shoe brand Alexander White offers chic and elegant shoes with a playful, youthful twist. Each shoe is designed in London and passionately handmade by skilled artisans on the outskirts of Florence, Italy. As a designer, Alexander is influenced by his surroundings, from architecture to antique jewellery, these influences are then interpreted in a modern and energetic way. The belief that a beautiful pair of shoes changes the way a woman presents herself to the world is what drives the design process and commitment to make women feel special.

Alexander White graduated from Edinburgh University with a degree in Design and Applied Arts. He went on to work at Erdem and Giles, before enrolling at Cordwainer’s College to study footwear design. Following his studies, he worked at Kurt Geiger. A chance meeting with Sandra Choi, who reviewed Alexander’s portfolio, is what prompted the designer to start his eponymous label. Since starting the label, Alexander has been nominated as one of the four footwear finalists at Altaroma & Vogue Italia’s WHO IS ON NEXT 2015.

Signature elements throughout his collections include embroidery and metallic materials, contrasting traditional design techniques with modern aesthetics to create truly unique shoes. This unique brand boasts an impressive celebrity fan base including Emma Watson, Carey Mulligan, Nicole Scherzinger, Ella Catliff, Eleanor Tomlinson and Yasmin Le Bon.

Where did your passion for designing shoes, especially women’s shoes come from?

I had never planned to go into footwear. The original plan was to train as an architect, and then I had a complete change of mind and pursued a design and applied arts degree at Edinburgh. I specialised in fashion and realised that I was always putting the most effort into the shoes and bags. I had never really thought that footwear design was a career until that point.

Who inspires you when it comes to design?

Each season I normally have a feeling of where I want to explore and develop. This is normally inspired by my surroundings. The AW16 collection was inspired by a visit to Adnan Khasghoggi's old hunting lodge in Spain. The majority of the house is still untouched from the 1970s, and was filled with glitter balls; purple velvet covered walls and completely mirrored rooms. Some pieces are developed from a random inspiration - such as the bags they put the bagels in on brick lane, which led to the paper bag boot.

Do you have a mentor and if you do, how important have they been in your journey as a shoe designer? If you don’t, is there a reason why?

I don't have a mentor per se when it comes to design. I was encouraged to start my own label by Sandra Choi (CD of Jimmy Choo). In the business side, my family all own their own businesses, which is great for some guidance when things get tough.

How would you describe your style and what would you say sets you apart from the rest especially the new comers?

The brand is elegant, feminine and modern. When I was in Milan with Vogue Italia last summer they noted how it's refreshing to see this aesthetic, as most young designers tend to either be quirky or tackling everyday shoes. I felt that there was a gap in the market for something of this aesthetic, which was reaffirmed when a buyer noted that there is nothing “Of this style, with this quality, at this price point”.

Since setting up your brand in 2014, how has it evolved?

As I think every designer knows, you always want to improve and try new things. This leads to the brand evolving and signatures emerging. The customer also shapes this as some styles receive such great response when you're not expecting it to, and they evolve into signature styles. For Autumn Winter 2016 I created a gathered boot, which has now developed into a whole ruffled family – this has evolved to be the signature of the brand as it’s unique and easily identifiable.

Do you feel that there are elements within the industry that has influenced this evolvement positively or negatively?

Meeting buyers personally. This is hands-down the biggest element that's shaped the brand's evolution, apart from my inspiration and design process of course. Some buyers are so on the mark with their advice as to what is missing / what their customers are looking for / what they think would perform well, it's incredible.

What criteria do you conform to when designing new shoes or a creating a collection?

Once I've done my initial designs and know where I'm taking the collection I often reflect and look at the collection as a whole. I check to see if we have all categories covered and which new categories to add. For Pre-Fall we've added low boots and more day styles, which is great as it now gives our customers more choice. The whole collection is the dissected to make sure it can be merchandised successfully before we confirm everything with the factory.

My biggest criteria each season is to make sure that there is enough unique new styles and ideas, the colour palette is fresh and most importantly - is it stronger than last season?

What are some of your greatest fascinations and how do they feed into your work and designs?

My biggest obsession is couture, in particular the works of Balenciaga and Dior (and Roger Vivier's shoes for Dior). Everything about this period I adore; the femininity, the elegance. It's reserved, yet in a way romantic. Even down to the photography - it's utter perfection. Every season I have at least five images of embroideries, photographs and outfits from this period, with an image or two of Raf's work at Dior. I then fixate on an aspect and let that inform my sketching.

I also obsess about random techniques, hardware or materials. Sometimes I hold onto these for seasons until I feel it's right. This season I finally got to use some safety buckles I found probably three years ago in Italy.

What are your thoughts on fast fashion and how has it affected your brand?

For me, fast fashion is a bad thing. We've seen so many creative directors step down recently because of the pressures of the ever-increasing speed of fashion. It doesn't allow for the time it takes to resolve and refine ideas. Part of this I think is to do with social media. With our company we're trying to only show styles when they're available to buy, rather than when they're shown to buyers. Same with celebrity dressing - so they're wearing in season, not six months before it’s in the shops.

What are some of the challenges you have faced since starting your brand?

It's a tough industry and there are challenges daily. From financing to factories. Italy manufactures to such high quality but it's very tough and the factories need large orders to put styles into production. It can be terribly stressful, especially as Italian is the only main European language at school I didn't learn.

How did you overcome those challenges?

I have a great team in Italy who I had worked with before starting my own label. They're so passionate about the brand and its potential and at my lowest points of despair they've picked me up. They're so vital for the business as they're my eyes and ears on the ground and visit the factory most days.

What would you say is the problem with the industry today?

My concern and great sadness is that since the recession we've been encouraged to shop at sale prices and have got into the habit of discount shopping. It's such a problem now for the industry, as stores need to sell at higher mark ups to survive, as they make little money on sale prices. I was recently at a staff training in Germany and the floor manager was in despair about it because people 'hunt out a bargain' and have lost interest and understanding of the craftsmanship and skill that has gone into making 'luxury' shoes. Factories are closing in Italy as everyone is moving to due to costs and the skill set is dying out.

What sort of changes would you like to see made within the industry and how would these changes help new comers?

When I look at my experience starting out, I think I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had a great PR team behind me, a passionate manufacturing office in Italy and lots of support from Vogue Italia. However, my main observation is that there is little support for accessory designers in comparison to ready-to-wear – and it concerns me when the skills are dying out. There a few schemes, apart from Vogue Talents (who are fantastic), who generate attention for these young designers, especially in the UK. I’d love to see a scheme that focuses on being an incubus for young accessory talent – in the same vein as NEWGEN does for ready-to-wear.

How have you found the journey of being a designer in the fashion industry?

Working for yourself is tough but so rewarding in comparison to working for a firm. I remember developing my first last in Italy two years ago and becoming overwhelmed, which is completely silly but it was the first time I had had full creative control and was realising my vision. One learns so much quicker than within a company. However, it's so important to have some experience within a brand first as there are so many pitfalls that could be avoided, and all mistakes cost money, especially the large ones.

What would you have liked to know upon entering this side of the business that would have made things easier for you?

There's no such thing as a holiday, no such thing as a weekend and no such thing as a sick day.

How did you go about securing funding to start your own brand, as this must be an expensive field to go into?

Funding is the hardest obstacle to overcome. I'm self-funded with no external investors, I thought I had enough when I started but after a hiccoughs or two later there was almost no cash left. Securing additional funding when a company is young, post recession is pretty impossible. Luckily I'm not bad at finance and cash flow manipulation and managed to make it through the storm!

Do you think there is a lot of help available for new comers entering the business?

There are two aspects to this question. The support within the industry and the financial industry. There are some amazing people in both sides- people who can see your vision and passion and want to help. Sara Maino from Vogue Italia is one of these people, she practically forced me to enter WION 2015, and I'm grateful she did. The experience and support she, Vogue Italia, AltaRoma and the WION team gave to me was incredible and they're so passionate about raising the profile of young designers who are linked to Italy.

What drives you to keep creating beautiful shoes season after season and how do you promote your work?

When I was at school every year I never turned up on my birthday. I'm a firm believer in it's a special day for doing only what you want to do, and Chemistry and Latin were not things I liked to do. This year I decided to take my birthday off, I flew out to Spain to see my parents and bathe in the glorious 35° sunshine. By 10am I was on my emails, 11am I was sketching. There is nothing more I love to do and that's what keeps me going. I cannot imagine doing anything else. In terms of promotion we work with a great PR team to create expose the brand. Social media is also important - although it's only in the last six months we've been focusing on growing this platform, as originally it was my responsibility and I kept on forgetting.

What would you say is your personal motto that has influenced the way you work and conduct your business and structure your brand?

My personal motto is Dat et sumat Deus, which is Latin for 'God gives and takes away'. I had a health scare a few years ago and it made me evaluate my life and what I wanted from it. Being faced with the realisation of your mortality makes some things so clear, so focused. Life is an adventure, and shouldn’t be wasted doing something that doesn’t make you feel alive. This translates into my business in multiple ways: 1. Treating everyone fairly and with respect - we are all equal. I think everyone has a voice, and no matter their level of experience, they can contribute. I’m not the biggest fan of traditional hierarchy. 2. Encourage people (one’s team) to grow, and explore what they want from life and 3. Take a risk (in design) – It’s not the end of the world if you do, and it goes wrong.

Where do you see your brand in the next five years?

The future for the brand, I hope, will be positive with an increased retail presence internationally, and if all goes to plan a flagship store in London. That's the goal anyway.

What advice would you give anyone who would like to design shoes?

The industry is relatively small and fiercely competitive. When I interned many years ago many of the people were there because they needed it on their CV. What struck me as incredible is that they weren't too bothered in learning but just to say they had done it. Curiosity and the desire to grow are vital to get ahead in this industry, as well as a strong work ethos. If you don't have these, I would reconsider your choice as design as your career.

What does the term/word FEARLESS mean to you?

Fearless is believing in yourself and tirelessly chasing your vision even when others can't see it. A lot of people have allowed fear to cripple them from achieving their goals and dreams, how did you do it? Fear is the greatest tool in success. The fear of failure makes you work harder. The fear of failing at my dream and losing my investment (and potential financial ruin) is what has made me work without days off, without holidays.

What advice would you give to those who have allowed fear cripple them?

Don’t let the fear of failing stop you from trying. J.K. Rowling sums it up nicely, "it is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all. In which case you fail by default.” So what’s there to lose?