I met Jamila a couple weeks ago through one of the other businesses I am involved with and once I learned a bit about what she is doing, I knew I wanted to share it with you all!! A few years ago, I was in NYC for the FFaNY show and I was hanging out in the Beverly Feldman store…Wendy Williams happened to be in there that day selecting shoes for her upcoming show season and she was (not very quietly) talking about how difficult it is to find shoes in her size (11!) and that it was very frustrated that she only had a few places she could go to. She was going on and on about this and said she just didn’t understand why there was not a company or retailer who specialized in larger sizes and offered designer labels as opposed to boring comfort shoes. Well…..here you go Wendy! Elevencouture.com is a new site that recently launched and it offers designer shoes in sizes 10 and up! Jamila Carrington Smith is the owner and founder and it is clear that she is absolutely passionate about what she is doing…and I am excited to have made the connection. I asked her if she would be interested in answering a few questions and so here is what she has to say!  I am excited to see how her business grows and I know that there are a lot of ladies out there who will be excited to know they can find the hottest trends in their size! We wish her the best of luck and hope she has a wonderful first year!!

Where did the inspiration come to launch your site come from?

I love beautiful shoes – I always have.  They’re like works of art to me.  However, by the time I was 12, I wore a size 11 shoe.  At that time, it was almost impossible to find shoes in my size. When I did find shoes that fit, they were just awful: boring, flat shoes with low or no heels; and in a choice of two colors: dull black or dusty brown. I was convinced that I was the only person in the world who wore a size 11.  The sense of isolation was crushing. 

By the time I launched the site in 2009, there were some players serving this target customer.  However, they tended to carry limited or old stock from only a few designer labels.  Shopping those places didn’t feel like an indulgent experience.  Rather, it felt as if they were solving a ‘problem’ of some sort.  Now, finding amazing shoes is about more than just solving for a utilitarian function.  Finding a beautifully crafted shoe in the right size taps into women’s notions of beauty, power and femininity. Customers don’t want to shop for the one or two “safe” styles offered by a retailer.  And they don’t always want it in black.  They want the same beautiful, indulgent, worthy-to-be-coveted footwear that every other serious lover of fashion does.  And when they shop, they don’t want to sort through tons of styles like some online superstores force them to do.  That doesn’t feel indulgent; it feels like warehouse shopping.

ElevenCouture.com is an online curated shoe shopping site serving women who wear sizes 10 and up.  We meet with emerging and established designers from around the world and select styles with noteworthy design, outstanding craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail.  We feature a single shoe at a time with no clutter and no competition so that we can highlight exactly how special each item is.  We carry current stock by exciting labels like Camilla Skovgaard, Tashkent by Cheyenne and Omelle.

How long have you been in business?

ElevenCouture.com was conceived in 2008.  The site was launched in April 2010.

Who is your customer and what does she expect to find on elevencouture.com?

The ElevenCouture.com customer loves luxury footwear.  Her closet may be filled with items like ours, or it could feature just two or three special items that she’s bought herself as a special treat.  She wants an indulgent shoe shopping experience but doesn’t want to shop in stores only to find that the really good stuff just isn’t available to her.  She’s not satisfied by some of the other offerings online.  Most online boutiques claim to offer high fashion footwear but have a disappointingly average collection.  The online superstores offer too many options – she doesn’t want to sort through 1,000 shoes just to find a few styles that she loves. 

ElevenCouture.com offers our customers a carefully edited selection of shoes that are selected with an eye for proportion, workmanship and a feminine, fashion-forward aesthetic.  Each item is a showpiece.  And above all, we promise not to feature a single boring flat black shoe.  We only feature flat and black if it’s fabulous! 

What did you do before you launched your site?

I spent 12 years as an advertising and marketing executive, working on a number of globally-recognized brands.  I’ve applied much of the discipline and consumer insight rigor from that experience to defining the opportunity for ElevenCouture.com.

The thing that surprised me the most as I developed this company was the huge disconnect between supply and demand.  There’s a great unmet need for shoes in larger sizes.  This customer base is not a niche; they’re a large and growing segment of the consumer base.  The marketer in me couldn’t pass up on this opportunity.  Plus, I’m surrounded by amazing designers and beautiful things – I’ve never had so much fun.

What can we expect to see from you over the next year or so?

Expect to see an expanded roster of designers and more size availability.  Also, expect to see some innovations that take fuller advantage of interactive media.  I am working with some incredibly talented people who love this concept as much as I do, and they bring tremendous value to this proposition.  They’re helping to move ElevenCouture.com forward, fast.

What excites you most about the footwear industry?

I thrive in a creative environment where I can provide people with something they love.  I carry labels from designers who are talented and inspiring.  And I love my customers!  I understand where they’re coming from and want to give them an experience they can’t get anywhere else.

Who makes your favorite shoe?

Oh, I’ve got lots of favorites.  All of them are my babies, so it’s hard to choose just one!  There’s this amazing slingback bootie by Omelle in grey suede that’s one of my current favorites.  And Tashkent by Cheyenne has a signature ankle tie bootie in black perforated leather that’s so rock ‘n’roll but somehow still classic.  Both are featured on the site.  I have an amazing pair of Guiseppe Zanotti silver mirrored leather sandals that I bought in Las Vegas a couple of years ago.  Then, there’s the clear strappy sandal from Jimmy Choo from about seven years back.  I just partnered with a Brazilian brand, Cavage, that features paper-thin python, nubby-textured stingray and incredible leathers for Fall/Winter 2010.  There are a few styles that I’ll feature on the site that I’d love to have in my personal collection.

What brands do you want to see make larger sizes?

I’m working on them now so that they’ll make shoes for ElevenCouture.com!  It takes some persistence and creativity, but I expect I’ll have an update for you a couple of seasons from now. 

What do you love about shoebizness.com?? haha (I had to throw that in there!) J

I love shoebizness.com because it’s a great source for new talent and information about the industry, but still feels fresh, accessible and connected to the people who make this industry work.  GO JULIA!!