THE BIG INTERVIEW

As she launches her highly-anticipated new collection of bridal shoes, the designer takes time out for a chat with Your Scottish Wedding

Kim

Your Scottish Wedding: How did you first get into designing bridal shoes? We read your first degree show featured bridal shoes but was there a moment when you decided this was the direction you wanted your career to take?

Charlotte Mills: The concept for Charlotte Mills Bridal was conceived when I designed a bridal footwear collection for my final degree show. After graduating from Cordwainers (part of London College of Fashion) my dream to launch my own luxury footwear brand was realised, and fast became a reality in 2014 with the launch of my very first collection. YSW: We love the way every pair of Charlotte Mills shoes includes the silver sixpence and the quote on the sole. What made you decide these were characteristics you had to include?

CM: When I got married my best friend’s mum gave me a sixpence and it was the first time I had come across this tradition - I loved the concept so much I decided I had to add this element to the shoes and then the other things snowballed from there.

YSW: What would you say are the main characteristics of a pair of Charlotte Mills shoes?

CM: Style, elegance, fun while being super comfortable.

YSW: Where do you get your inspiration from?

CM: I get so much inspiration from visiting our factory in Spain, where all CM shoes are made. Going to material suppliers and looking for new heels, components, trims and materials and then building the shoes from there. We also really listen to our brides’ feedback and we know what they’re looking for, so this plays a big part in the design process. YSW: Do you have a particular shoe that’s your favourite?

CM: I love all our shoes that feature heart designs; a few years ago we had a pink shoe with love hearts on it called ‘Charlotte’. This was my favourite shoe ever. We are actually bringing a very similar one out this February as a Valentine’s limited edition style! Charlotte

YSW: Are you more of a flats or high heel wearer yourself?

CM: I wear trainers so much as I have two young kids and am always running around. But I love heels and enjoy wearing them when I dress up. We are adding sneakers in our 2022 collection which I will be wearing non-stop.

YSW: How do you ensure your shoes are comfortable enough to wear all day?

CM: All of our shoes are designed specifically for your wedding day, when the bride will be stood up for hours, whether that’s from walking

brides. We also offer all our styles in both a high and mid heel, allowing brides to choose a heel height they are most comfortable with. Last year we also expanded our range to feature low block heels, for the brides that found our mid heels just a little too high.

YSW: Who’s the one celebrity bride you wish you could have designed wedding shoes for and why?

CM: I adore Blake Lively’s style and it would be a dream to create something for her. They would be super embellished and high with our new elegant slim block heel.

YSW: What’s the inspiration behind the new collection? Do you have a particular favourite from it?

down the aisle, posing for photos or mingling in the evening with all the guests, so comfort is such an important factor when designing all our shoes. Each pair of CM shoes features a specifically formulated latex padding, which has a memory foam effect, this helps prevent the balls of your feet aching. We also only create block heels, not only are they more suitable for different surfaces, such as grass, gravel, cobbled streets and old church tiles but they provide more support and stability for our CM: For the new collection, we really wanted to build on our brides’ favourite styles, we’ve developed a new curved slimmer block heel, which is a more delicate and elegant take on our signature blocks. After huge success with our pearl styles, we have added a range of different options from understated knot embellished designs to all-out glamour with our pearl encrusted straps and matching clutch bag. My favourite style is ‘Kim’, named after our amazing brand manager. I love the knot front with the pearl detail and the super elegant ankle straps. PHOTOGRAPHY: Emma Ryan LIGHTING: Thomas J Photography FLORIST: Sassflower STUDIO: Fivefourstudio MODELS: @ninaleacaine and @aneelak_1

OUTFITS LOANED BY: Kate Edmonson Constellation Ame Millia London Bellissima Bridal Gigi and Olive Victoria Percival Rebecca Anne Designs

Want to bag a pair of Charlotte Mills shoes for your big day?

Shop the full range at charlottemills.com

The new collection is available from the end of January 2022

Century House | 45 East Port Dunfermline | KY12 7JE 01383 623 490

66 Morningside Road Edinburgh | EH10 4BZ 0131 447 8800