FKN Sassy – Love Jules Leather

May 14, 2012 in Fashion, Lifestyles

Introduced on our website not that long ago was this awesome two-person garage based handmade leather shoe company, situated in the mountains of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada by the name of Love Jules Leather. Check out this newest installment of FKN Sassy as we get to know the owners behind Love Jules Leather and how it all started!

Shoe line name: Love Jules Leather
City/State: Whistler, B.C., Canada
Established date: Spring 2008
Website: www.lovejulesleather.com

Price range for shoes: $250 – $375
Where to buy your shoes: www.etsy.com/shop/lovejules

So tell us about yourself and your brand?

- We’re a two-person garage based handmade leather shoe company, situated in the mountains of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

We’re small, and everything we create is by hand, with little to no machine support. We pride ourselves on the ability to craft unique, small run designs & custom creations.

We don’t have to do anything. We can stop on a dime, and do something else. It’s an epic grind, and we love it.

How did you come up with the name?

- When Jules was at art school, she had little money to buy friends & family gifts for those occasions you buy gifts… birthdays, mother’s day, X-mas… She had access to tools & supplies to make things though, so she did. And she signed each one “Love Jules”…

It’s just kinda stuck, and here we are.

What best describes your line & who is it targeted to?

- Our personal styles gravitate towards the “urban” class of design I think, but too, we’re simple classic Canadiana people. What we do is for us, and so, is kinda a mishmash of that.

In our shoes, we try to make pieces that have those qualities that make something “classic”. The goals of our designs are 4 fold:
1. Do it differently, but don’t change those standards that work. Let them be.
2. Look to the future, it better get better with age.
3. Classic, strive for that.
4. Don’t try & be something you’re not. If we wouldn’t wear it, it’ll be forced.

What influenced you to start this line?

- We wanted to do something we felt we couldn’t easily get somewhere else. Luckily we had some tools & will to stick to it, through the growing pains of a small start up with a novel concept. There’s not a lot of similar models to emulate, so we learn through trial, and a lot of error. In time It’s kinda taken on a life of it’s own… so we’re just riding it for now, with plans of coming up with a plan… sometime soon.

How is your brand different from others out there?

- We’re a two-person operation based in Canada. We handcraft some pretty unique kicks, with little to no machine support. We produce small run as well as some one off custom creations. Right now we sell online, out of the studio, and in some select shops/ boutiques, but this will never be a volume game. We’re not catering to anyone, we do what feels right to us, and when it stops, we stop.

Are there any challenges you run into while running a business?

- Haha, where do we start?! It’s one big challenge. But, it’s a wild ride & we love it.

This is where I’d rant, if I wanted to use this opportunity as therapy, but we’ll leave that for another day. This is one of those feel good pieces…

What ways did you find promoting your brand worked?

- We kinda let things happen organically. Again, not to force things.

We get our kicks in front of people’s eyes, and on people’s feet, and it’s great when those people have knowledge based opinions other people respect. Momentum is a crazy thing… and when you’ve got it, it kinda feeds itself.

We’ve got a pretty charming story I think, so we ride it. The feeling we get seeing our names in lights is a nasty ego driven thing, but it’s empirical evidence we’re doing something right. Too, makes our moms super proud.

Are there any future plans for your line?

- Miraculously, an investor stumbled upon us, and is, as I write this, rocking our little world upside down. He’s green lighted some pretty exciting things, such as a bigger live/ work studio space, some big ass game changing machines… & time. This summer we’ll be retooling… with hopefully some pretty cool creations for the fall…

How did you hear about FKN Famous & what do you think of us?

- Heard about you through a friend who said we should check you guys out. As soon as he told us your name, we were sold. FKN Famous… that’s badass.

Any last shout outs?

- Just wanna say, thanks so much for the opportunity. We’ve really felt the love this past year, and it really motivates us to stay the course.

We hope your readership digs what we do, but at the very least, if we can inspire a person or two to take the leap & do their own thing, that’d be rad.