Inspirational Interviews
Meet the Maker: FitFlop
We catch up with serial wellbeing entrepreneur, Marcia Kilgore. With Soap & Glory, Beauty Pie and Soaper Duper to her name, Marcia is a force to be reckoned with in the wellness industry. Here, Marcia explains all about her brand FitFlop and how its super shoes came to be.
Where did the idea for FitFlop come from?
The idea for FitFlop came from me wanting fashionable shoes that actually fit, were comfortable and felt like sneakers (even after I’d been wearing them all day). I remember walking my son to nursery school one day in a pair of relatively pricey sandals. My feet must have come out of the back of the shoes at least 30 times on the short journey. They literally were not fit for purpose, but they looked great.
Now, I set my personal bar really high every day. I can’t jump over it wearing bad shoes. Having shopped far and wide, I was desperate to find footwear that was optimised for comfort. I also wanted something that looked good enough to wear to work, or with a cool dress, or with something that required a shoe with a bit of ‘style’. I couldn’t find any that didn’t look like ‘old comfort, granola, hippie shoes’. First I worked on the technology, then we made a pair of sandals, and then we launched FitFlop.
How did you decide on the first design for FitFlop?
I wanted to start with an affordable shoe that was biomechanically optimised for the feet and body. I noticed that flip flops – and the process of constructing them – seemed affordable and relatively straightforward. Before FitFlop came along, I was a skincare expert, and didn’t know that much about shoes.
The original concept was to make the most of every step. This was to engage the muscles in your legs properly. Over time, as customers reported unparalleled comfort and underfoot feel, we realised there was a demand for our brand of comfort in many kinds of shoes and boots!
How much does sustainability influence your brands?
We think about sustainability in everything we do. We do everything we can to make the best choices and push for better options with our suppliers. At FitFlop, it’s a little more complex, because nobody wants their shoes to dissolve! We focus on clean production and making shoes that really last. I’m a proud owner of many pairs that I’ve been wearing for over five years. And nothing is as sustainable than things that last!
Where does your entrepreneurial spirit come from?
I’m very often dissatisfied with the status quo. I know that things can be better. When I find something that I know will make MY life better, I know there are other people out there like me whose lives will also be made better by the ‘missing link’ in question. When I created FitFlop, it was really so I had a great pair of shoes that I could be a superwoman all day in!
