Bling on her toes

The idea behind the Crystal Couture concept really was simple. “I have always loved shoes, handbags and anything that sparkles, and when I couldn’t find a wedding shoe that excited me I just knew there was a gap in the market for something special,” explains owner/designer Yona Armstrong. Her fully crystal-covered shoe is the most popular, available in a closed or peep toe. “I try to have something in the range for everyone and there are many different styles available. There are various heel heights ranging from 1in to 4in and some flat ballet pumps. My shoes is that they are comfortable without compromising on the wow factor.”
The collection, which include satin boots, is made from silk, satin and leather with different crystals and diamantés to cater for all budgets and tastes. Shoes can be dyed and also professionally cleaned. A new, high-end collection, Elite, is in production now.
Bridal shoes account for 65 percent of the business, with handbags, evening shoes and prom shoes making up the rest of the portfolio. Some of the handbags are designed by Armstrong, others are sourced by her. She hopes to expand the occasionwear range over the coming months and will use anything and everything for inspiration.
“When I heard that there was going to be a production of the Wizard of Oz in London I designed a limited-edition Dorothy Ruby Red Slipper. They are available in all the colours of the rainbow, too. One of my other innovations was to incorporate the something-blue tradition into shoes and I came up with the idea of an ivory shoe with a blue heel. This has been really well received!”
Armstrong feels ready to expand and is hoping to increase her stockists both here and abroad. To this end she will exhibit Crystal Couture at BBEH in September. “I’m looking for stores that want to give their customers real choice and offer something different from the usual collection of ivory shoes. Shops that do promwear and eveningwear as well as bridal are good for us. We do our best to look after our stockists, offering fairly low starter packages and point-of-sale equipment. We also publicise new stockists on our social networking sites and refer our web traffic to them if they want to try shoes on or see them up close. We get a lot of traffic so this is of great benefit!
Armstrong believes in the power of PR, marketing and advertising. “Crystal Couture adverts appear in newspapers, magazines and online and I hired a PR firm to get the name out there, too. Entering competitions is also a great way of getting known - we were finalists in the Best Shoe Collection category at this year’s Bridal Buyer Awards, and also in the Best Newcomer and Best Manufacturer categories at the Welsh Women in Business Awards.”

Read the full story in the July/August issue of Bridal Buyer, out now.

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See the Crystal Couture collection at BBEH, 11-13 September. To pre-register, visit www.bbeh.co.uk