Who We Are

We bet you want to know who we are? The thing is, you probably already do.

We are the trendmakers in women’s fashion footwear, already stocked by major online and high street retailers and already influencing and shaping the current footwear industry from behind-the-scenes.

But personally?

We have humble beginnings, and despite success and BIG plans, we’re still the same.

You are our inspiration. And we aim to create the footwear that you will want and love.

We’re not afraid to have fun. That’s what footwear is all about.

We don’t look back, we look ahead. Our studio is focused on the future of footwear and the next big trends and styles.

We know about materials and are strict on standards and quality – you should expect nothing less – ourstyles are made from friendly, premium synthetic leathers (well, if it’s good enough for StellaMcCartney…), high specification trims and finishes, and are the subject to thorough checking.

So where did the name come from, you ask?

The word ‘Koi’ actually derives from Japan (Kon’nichiwa!) and translated in English means ‘love’. Which fits with our ethos in that everything we do is for the love and passion we have for footwear.

Quite simple, really.

And absolutely nothing to do with fish.

Let’s talk some more about those humble beginnings.

Back in the early 80s Koi Footwear started out as a women’s footwear manufacturer called Elegant Shoes,where we designed and made all of our shoes in-house.

Working out of the Koi factory in Manchester, we supplied styles straight off the conveyor belt and into shops. Sometimes, in just one day. It has always been about fast fashion, even then.

We weren’t afraid to offer never-before-seen styles and fashion forward trends to our customers - which at the time were mainly independent boutiques and market traders - and they loved us for it and we got a bit of a reputation. Soon the demand for our trend led footwear got so big that we decided to move our manufacturing to China, but we were passionate about keeping the entire design process in-house, and we do, even to this day.

Our dedication to being different has remained and our aim to put the fun back into fashion footwear and the focus back into creating on-trend, high-quality products at affordable prices, has stayed the same. We even put a lot of work into sourcing the best, premium synthetic leathers - to rival real leathers – that we can find. And so today, with our 20-year strong history and experience as a white label footwear supplier, our customer base has expanded to include large high street stores and online retailers, all looking for the most trend led styles in footwear.

And there you have it, in a nutshell.

We hold onto our story tightly, it’s who we are.