Sophia Webster On Her New Book, Sketching Challenges and ADHD Being Her Superpower

Swapping shoe designs for book editing, the debut author visited this month’s Emirates LitFest to launch ‘Oh My Gosh, I Love Your Shoes!’

Loved in the Middle East for her iconic butterfly motifs and feel-good footwear, British creative Sophia Webster invites Bazaar Arabia into her colourful world to talk about her new memoir, filled with personal anecdotes about heels, embellishment and Taylor Swift…

What might this book reveal to customers about your journey that they don’t yet know?

The book is very much a behind the scenes story starting from when I was a child – the Instagram versus reality. There’s a lot of ups and downs and I don’t think I’ve ever been this personal before.

The title you’ve chosen is really charming…

‘Oh my gosh, I love your shoes!’ is probably the phrase I hear the most. Either said to me by friends, or someone stops me which is always so nice to hear.

This must have been a very different creative project for you?

Writing a book is most definitely out of my comfort zone. The process actually started with me drawing shoes. I set myself a challenge on New Year’s Eve 2020, to draw a shoe every day and as I was drawing, different memories or stories inspired each design. I started to think ‘this would make a good illustration book!’, but as I wrote more and more, it became an entrepreneurial story of how I started the business. It then evolved into an illustrated memoir.

Why was it important for you to attend the Emirates LitFest this year?

I’m very honoured and excited to attend. Dubai was the first place that I travelled to for events when I launched the brand and my customers here have always been really loyal. I think the book will really resonate with them.

How do your best selling designs in this part of the world differ from those in other regions?

My Middle Eastern customers have a very elevated taste. There are so many fabulous places and events to attend so they love a statement shoe for occasions. It’s so much fun for me to go to town on embellishment for regional exclusives.

Your label has gone from strength to strength since 2012 – why do you think your designs are still so popular?

I like to stay in my lane. I create shoes that make people smile and conversation starters that give people the confidence to walk a bit taller. The DNA of the brand is very consistent and people will know if someone’s got Sophia Webster shoes on.

As a creative, how do you keep up with the demand for constant newness?

I seem to have the opposite problem, I’ve always got too many ideas! I’ve got ADHD so we’ll be working on one thing and I’m already onto the next or distracted by something else. My team’s problem is keeping me focused on developing the thing that we’ve already started.

What are the biggest challenges that you’ve faced work-wise over the years?

When you’re a new brand it’s exciting and lots of people want ‘the new big thing’ but you can only be the new kid on the block once, so after the first few seasons, that’s the challenge. Taking on investment was a time when the business was meant to kick into gear, then I had a really tragic personal experience where my dad was assaulted and he was left with a brain injury. When you’re juggling balls as an entrepreneur and a mum, and you get thrown a curveball, that’s really tough.

Is there such a thing as a typical day for you?

I’ve got a nine-year old, twin five-year-olds and a one-year old so the mornings are chaotic but me and my husband will tag team – one of us gets them dressed while the other does breakfast and somehow we manage to get them out the door. After we’ve navigated the school run, we’ll come to the office as we work together and it could be fitting samples, working on a new collection, board meetings, working on shoots or setting up the showroom. Then it’s home again for the next shift of mum life, dinner at 9pm and an hour of whichever Netflix boxset we’re watching.

How do you think you’ve personally changed since you launched the label?

When I started the business I was in my twenties and there was a certain fearlessness I had – nothing to lose! I had my first daughter a year and a half later and I was totally naive about how much that would change everything. The business and categories evolved with my life; I got married and introduced the bridal collection, I had a child and introduced the mini collection, and when I became a mum, I introduced sneakers and flat boots… designing with more purpose. I guess I’m evolving with my customers.

What celebrity moments are most memorable for you?

I would say Oprah doing her ‘me too’ speech wearing my black Coco Pumps was really special. And Taylor Swift wearing my Chiara classic butterfly wing heels on the red carpet. The Swifties were on Twitter trying to decode the message behind the butterfly which was just so cool. Overnight I had a whole new audience interested in that shoe.

Images Supplied.

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s February 2024 issue.