Morning Rituals, Butterfly Conservation And Shoes, Glorious Shoes: 24 Hours With Sophia Webster
The British-based founder and creative director talks us through a fashion-filled day with her family
6:30 A.M is the time I get up on most days. My twins are two-and-a-half years old and they share a room, so I normally hear them starting to chat to each other around that time and then shortly after they start calling for me. I usually wake up wishing I could get another hour sleep. My husband lets me lie in on a Sunday morning while he gets up with the kids, which is lovely. I live with my husband, Bobby, our three daughters, BiBi, twins Roses and Lilou, my stepson Finn, and our dog, Rio.
6:35 A.M I have my first coffee with oat milk very shortly after I wake up.
Sophia Webster
7:00 A.M I usually wake my eldest daughter up to get ready for school. My husband is my business partner, so when I take the kids downstairs for their breakfast he usually jumps in the shower. When the kids are settled we switch, and I go upstairs to get ready for the day.
7:30 A.M I have a quick shower and I wash my face with Avene Xeracalm cleansing oil. I use it for the kids as well just because it’s so gentle. Then I put on Glossier bubblewrap eye cream. I have dry skin so I use a really thick moisturiser such as C.E.O Vitamin C Rich Hydration cream by Sunday Riley. I then step into jeans and a cute T-shirt or sweater, and a pair of my Sophia Webster butterfly sneakers. I usually go with a colour theme, I’m kind of obsessed with certain colour combinations – so I’ll pick one theme and go with that. I also wear an Alex Monroe bumblebee necklace, and I have some multi-coloured beaded bracelets from Mishky that I like to stack with my Cartier Love bangle. I grew up in the ’90s in the Spice Girls era. They massively influenced the way I dressed and the way I carried myself.
8:45 A.M We have a nanny who comes to help look after the kids so that me and my husband can go to work. Out of lockdown we go to the office four days a week and on a Friday I’m available on email, but spend that day with the twins.
Unicorn welly, Dhs525, Sophia Webster
9:30 A.M I leave home and head to work. We live in East London and the office is in Shoreditch. It’s about a 15-minute ride on the tube.
10:00 A.M I arrive at work and catch up with my teams from the different departments. I would say that the office is organised chaos. It’s very bright with lots of neon lights – and of course, lots of shoes! I love to have music playing in the background at work. We have a BO$$ Lady playlist with a great mix of amazing female artists such as Teyana Taylor, Jorja Smith, Miraa May and Mahalia. I like to have fun at work but we get the job done as a team. I’m very hands on and like to know what’s going on all of the time. I wouldn’t say I’m strict, as my team has a lot of freedom because they do a great job and I have a lot of trust in them. I don’t really divide the work day into different sections, to be honest, it’s all a bit non-stop – especially on the days when I do the school pick-up. If I’m at the office for the full day I like to try and take a walk with my husband to get some fresh air.
1:00 P.M Oklava is my favourite place for lunch, a great Turkish restaurant a few minutes from the office. They serve an amazing halloumi cheese in honey.
Shay sneaker (plays music), Dhs1,100, Sophia Webster
2:00 P.M Back to the office. One of my favourite things about my job is the process of turning a sketch into a product. There are so many processes involved in the manufacturing of a shoe, from the material sourcing and testing, to several rounds of fit tests to ensure it’s perfect for the customer. I also love seeing my shoes being worn on Instagram by our lovely community of followers. I’ve been fortunate to have had so many icons wear my shoes, from Beyoncé and Michelle Obama, to Mariah Carey and Oprah. Oprah wore our shoes for her momentous Me Too speech. I’d really love to see RuPaul rocking some Sophia Webster shoes though.
3:00 P.M My team loves a birthday and it seems to be someone’s birthday every week, so there’s always a lot of cake and singing around the office. If I’m collecting my daughter from school, I leave work around 3pm but if I’m doing a full day, I leave around 7 o’clock.
7:30 P.M The kids eat before us, then it’s bath time and bed. I like to watch a bit of a movie or read a book with my eldest until she drifts off.
Matching mum and mini shoes, from Dhs825, Sophia Webster
8:30 P.M is dinner time for my husband and I. We eat a lot of Thai food or if I’m feeling lazy we have some All Plants ready meals in the freezer which are really delicious. I can’t remember the last time we went out due to the UK’s current restrictions, but I’m looking forward to getting dressed up and going out for dinner, especially so I can wear some of my latest styles such as the Margaux mid-mule and matching bag.
9:30 P.M My favourite way to unwind is by watching The Real Housewives of Cheshire. During lockdown I also watched a lot of series’ including Big Little Lies, The Crown and Money Heist. My favourite podcast is Desert Island Discs.
11:00 P.M I wish it was a little earlier, but I usually head up to bed around 11pm after a cup of chamomile tea. I am currently reading A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies by Jonathan Bradley & The Butterfly Conservation who I am collaborating with on an awareness project. I always try to learn more about butterflies as I use them in my designs and they inspire me so much. We are working to raise awareness about two endangered butterfly species. I have designed my Chiara shoes with replica wings of the butterflies that are facing the risk of extinction.
Images courtesy of Sophia Webster