There is a young women. Who makes fabulous shoes…

It’s an inherent fact that women are suckers for beautiful shoes and I have bad news… the rising Glasgow designer I caught up with this week isn’t going to make it any easier for us to resist the urge to spoil our feet to some luxurious leather. Thank god it’s only 62 sleeps until Christmas and maybe Santa can ‘foot’ the bill – there’s definitely more than one pair I want. With her designs spreading to a number of stockists and plans to open up a collaborative design shop, there’s a name everyone should get to know…

Emily Lamb, 24, shoe designer, extremely talented.

Emily With some of her S/S 11 collection

Bio:

Glasgow footwear designer Emily Lamb, like nearly all women, has always adored shoes but she always knew that not only did she want to just wear them but to make them. She found out when she was 15 that you could study the art of shoe design thus she embarked on a path that lead her to the creation of her very own label.

At 17 she went to study a portfolio course at London College of Fashion before being accepted to the BA hons shoe design and making course at Cordwainers. After graduating in 2008 she went on to work for custom made wedding shoe designer, Emmy. Undoubtedly gaining invaluable experience Emily’s ambitions brought her back to Glasgow and a just more than a year ago Emily Lamb Shoes was born.

Nominated for best new Scottish artist or designer category at the Scottish Variety Awards and accessory designer of the year at the Scottish Fashion Awards this year, Emily is fast becoming an industry favourite. Big names have already recognized the quality and design of her shoes; Dame Shirley Bassey wore a pair of Miss Lamb’s custom-made Swarovski encrusted silver sling backs to the Scottish Fashion awards earlier this year.

Emily has just released her third collection for S/S 2012 and is currently selling her shoes at Lace Boutique in Ayr and is hoping to secure a few more stockists for her latest designs in the next few weeks.

Sneak peak of Emily's S/S 12 Designs

She is also working with her fellow designers of the Design Collective Scotland to get their new and exclusive shop up and running before Christmas… how convenient for us. The studio come shop will be set up on Glasgow’s Dumbarton Road and will see a collaboration from four of the design worlds names to watch.

Emily’s shoes are handmade in the UK, with each pair adopting a unique design and exquisite detail to create beautiful and timeless designs. Even the boxes these gorgeous shoes come in are 100% recyclable. Emily Lamb, you’re a Fashion Smartie.

Here’s a taste of what Emily had to say about her luxury shoes, new adventures and Glasgow fashion:

Why shoes?

I spent so long at high school doodling them that eventually someone told me you could study it, so I thought, 'I'm going to do that.’

The more I find out about shoes the more interested I am.

I love everything about them: the construction and all the materials you can use. I look at a pair of shoes and they can be quite simple and really beautiful but you can't see all that's gone into the making of them.

'Collette' from Emily's first collection 
which was inspired by Paris 1920's design 
and Art Deco - LOVE.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I tend when designing a collection not to look at different trends or what’s been done before. My collection for autumn/winter was actually inspired by a surrealist artist from Cuba, he’s been one of my favourite artists for years, Wifredo Lam. His stuff is so cool and that’s what inspired my collection.  

Emily Lamb A/W 11 'Carmen'

Emily Lamb A/W 11 'Alegria'

Designing and selling shoes in Glasgow you definitely keep the women around you in mind. Women in Glasgow tend to dress very well and love high fashion pieces and I suppose that’s something I always have in mind when I’m putting a collection together.

We can’t wait for the design collective shop, tell us more:

The Design Collective was started by Di Gilpin – the idea came to her when she was over in New York at Dressed to Kilt with Iona Crawford then the two of them decided to start the collective up. Iona and I have been friends for a while so she suggested it to me and I knew Marc Ross so we all just got together and went for it. We all just showed at London Fashion Week in September just there. We had a great response, we had a launch party in Glasgow before we went down and then a launch in London during it, which were both great.

It will be great to have an outlet and somewhere central in Glasgow that people can come to and actually try on the shoes.

And we don’t have the date confirmed yet but it will be before Christmas and we’ll be having a launch party.

3/4 of the Scottish Design Collective, 
Iona Crawford, Marc Ross 
and Emily Lamb

Why Glasgow?

It’s a city that’s definitely up and coming; I think it’s probably the second biggest city in the UK for fashion. I know other people think about Manchester etc... outside of London but I honestly do think Glasgow is probably the next big city for stylists and their interest in high fashion.

I think the fact there are so many famous artists and designers from in and around Glasgow that it really lends itself to people being so interested in design and fashion itself. On top of that there’s Glasgow school of art and the fashion course at Cardonald; I think having these courses within the city also adds to what people chose to wear and their fashion awareness.

What designers do you most admire?

As far as designers go I love Preen, just how elegant their clothes are and I just think the couple that design for Preen are fantastic. But I think as far as business goes it would have to be Tamara Mellon for Jimmy Choo.

Preen's A/W 11 Collection

What’s the future plan for Emily Lamb?

 Over the next two years I want to increase my stockists worldwide so people become more aware of my brand. Then after that maybe five years down the line I would love to have my own boutique, who knows where that might be but I think maybe London or New York, a major fashion capital, but with the way things are going maybe it will be Glasgow.

I would also like to collaborate with a few different designers so we’ll see…

Your dream collaboration for a collection?

I would love to do shoes with Karl Lagerfeld. He mostly sticks to a monotone look, which is definitely my sort of style, I love simplicity and timeless pieces so I think we could definitely do something together.

I really hope you do…

Stay tuned for the launch of the Scottish Design Collective's Premier store.