Our New Footwear Release - In Conversation with Ross Worswick

Hi Ross, we are here today to talk about a very exciting project, Footwear, firstly, how are you feeling about it?

I think this has been one of the longest projects we’ve ever worked on. It’s been in the pipeline for a very long time. We really wanted to make sure everything was perfect before releasing it. As a Creative Director, I’d say it’s one of our most exciting projects to date. Learning a whole new process and starting from scratch it reminded me of the very early days of The Couture Club. Watching it evolve through the different stages has been incredible and I couldn’t be prouder of where we have finished with it.

Sounds like it’s been a real passion project. What is the name of the footwear?

Yeah, definitely. We’ve called the silhouette Axis. The name came from two directions really.  Originally, we were looking at all the parts on a skateboard and the pivot axis came up and we just thought, Axis sounds sick. In the very early stages of designing the shoe we were obsessed with a silhouette that could be a really be worn day to night, all occasions and on constant rotation in your wardrobe. So Axis just fit perfectly.

And what was the inspiration behind the Axis?

The main inspiration came from skate shoes. We wanted to create a more minimal version, something you could dress up or down. Most skate shoes out there are designed just for that purpose with High amounts of padding and we felt like we could combine that with a more classic silhouette, Clean leathers, Nylons & of course Suedes to stay authentic to skate. We spent along time developing our  flared sole so you got that wide look when you look down on your shoe. 

From a design perspective, what are your favourite elements of Axis?

When you look at the upper, it’s not actually as wide as you might expect, but we’ve played with the proportions a bit. When you look straight down at the sole, that wider flared sole unit creates the illusion of extra width. The sole itself is mid-depth, not too chunky, not too slim, and we spent a lot of time getting that balance right. But I think my favourite part has to be all the embossing on the sole. The level of detail is crazy, 

the logos almost fade out to mimic the natural wear you’d see on a skate shoe. I’ve always been a fan of a smaller toe box and with the concealed stitching I think that’s one of my favourite parts of the upper.

And what colourways are there?

So we’re kicking things off with four: black nylon, chalk white leather, oak brown suede, and sand beige suede. We wanted to keep it core to start with and fit our collections.  Colours that are easy to wear, go with everything, and just feel clean. The black nylon has a more technical feel, the white leather’s super classic, and the brown and beige suedes bring that premium, more elevated vibe. It was important for us to nail those staple tones first before we start pushing things further.

It sounds like getting the core collection right was really important to you. You said earlier it’s been one of your longest projects, what made it take so long?

So, this actually isn’t the original shoe we’d been developing, it was a secondary style we’d explored. With the first one, there was a lot of learning that went into it, but it just took so long and never really felt right. I think we were almost forcing it in the end. It just didn’t feel true to what we wanted, so we decided to scrap that style completely and put everything we’d learned from the process into this second silhouette.

Sometimes that’s the best way. How was the footwear design process different to clothing?

It’s completely different from clothing, we were pretty much starting from scratch and learning as we went. There are so many new elements and terms to get your head around, which was definitely one of the biggest challenges at the start. Things like shortening the toe boxes, getting the pitch of the shoe just right, and I always wanted that really flared-out sole that comes out when you look down, but still keeps a clean, sleek look on top. There was so much time learning about the last and not only making a shoe that looked good from the outside but fit well from the inside. Working with the factories and teams was tricky in the beginning, but honestly, I think it’s one of the best things we’ve done. It felt like learning something totally new again, kind of took me back to the early days. But we got there in the end, and it’s something we’re really proud of.

And, what sparked this move into footwear?

My vision has always been with The Couture Club, that I wanted us to be a true head to toe brand, and now more than ever, the timing just felt right. Whenever we were shooting campaigns, we always had the struggle of finding the right footwear to match back to our collections, sometimes it looks great, but sometimes we just weren’t sure. We wanted a shoe that was versatile and would style back perfectly with almost all of our collections, but also giving the customer, the full head to toe look that will fit with different clothes.

Were you conscious to launch a new category after the success of the rebrand?

100%, definitely. For us, going through the rebrand was all about getting the basics and core collections absolutely right first. We needed to rebuild the business properly, both from a product and brand perspective. This footwear project has actually been a personal passion project running quietly in the background for the last 12 months or so, and it’s only now really coming to light. But you’re exactly right, we had to nail the basics before even thinking about a full head-to-toe collection. That’s why now just feels like the natural next step.

The effort that’s gone into the rebrand really shows, you’ve nailed it. So, what are your hopes for the footwear side of things?

We tested footwear a few years back, but it just wasn’t right at the time. And if I’m honest I didn’t spend anywhere near the same amount of time with the factories sitting and learning as it was all through an agent. This time it had to come from within & I wanted to go back to basics and learn everything I needed to make a good shoe, Ask every question that was on my mind, make mistakes, not put a time frame on when the shoe was coming out. Just focus on getting it right and then bring it to market. 

This time around, we’re approaching it more as an actual category that we are 100% going to expand on within the collections. I don’t expect us to be known as a footwear brand overnight, and there will still be learnings, but footwear will be a key category for us going forward. It’s going to take time to build that side of the business. But as a starting point, the Axis is such a versatile shoe that it fits seamlessly into the collections from day one, which from my perspective is a really strong foundation.

Finally, Ross, do you plan to expand the footwear range?

Yeah, definitely. Axis is a great start for us, it’s a core silhouette and really the classic foundation of our footwear line. But we’ve been exploring different versions of Axis, and we’re also working on completely new silhouettes that will be launching later next year.

You can shop our full men’s footwear collection here. Pair our Axis shoes with our bestselling men’s twin sets, or tracksuits, or dress up for the winter with the latest in our men’s coats and jackets.