Well Heeled in habbot Footware.

Colour and detail are the cornerstones of Australian shoe designer Annie Abbott’s aesthetic. Annie launched habbot shoes in February 2011 dedicated to Australian designed footware made with uncompromising quality, direct from Italian leather manufactures. Annie has built the brand to encompass two retail addresses as well as a strong base of keen followers. We ask Annie a few questions on design, business and what’s next.

What was the ‘let’s go for it moment’ in starting habbot?

The first moment I can remember about starting habbot was on a walk around Centennial Park in Sydney with my friend and fellow Sass and Bide work colleague, Inez. My role at Sass and Bide meant I learnt very quickly about the process involved in taking a garment from the design phase right through to the shop floor and I loved the mix of creativity and commerce. I had always toyed with the idea of designing shoes and I told Inez of my plans to work these two interests of mine into a business idea. She told me to buy a book and start making notes which is exactly what I did. I have piles of such notebooks now and a real business to show for them!

Footwear- particularly in Australian high street retail- can be pretty lacklustre. How do you make sure the habbot style is fresh and full of new ideas?

I make a point not to take much notice of global fashion trends as this is what most high street retailers follow and a reason why a lot of Australian retailers have similar styles to their competitors. I prefer to let the materials guide me and they are always the starting point for each collection. I travel to a materials fair in Milan twice a year and scour the tanneries and textile houses for a few stand-out materials to form the basis for each capsule collection. I now build about 10 small capsules each year, rather than sticking to two major seasons. This enables us to offer lots of fresh pieces throughout the season. We only make small batches of each style so we can move on quickly too which is exciting for customers as there is usually something new to consider.

Annie Abbott

Quality crafting is at the essence of habbot, is it a struggle to balance quality with affordability? 

Whilst we do have to consider the cost of details that go into the shoes, our customers really understand good quality does not come cheaply. Like me, they know that you can’t fake good shoes. Because our customers have a real appreciation for quality this means they understand what fine leather looks and feels like, but they also have a keen eye for detail and love our shoes for the attention we pay to the little things like stitching details and edge treatments. Most customers tell us they see a shortage of quality in the market so I think our value proposition reflects a good balance of quality and affordability.

How did you go about finding the right fit for manufacturing partners and what is it about the Italians that produce such exceptional footwear?

I traveled to some shoe fairs that I had previously visited in my role as a footwear buyer and basically scoured the exhibition halls looking for small makers who were displaying their wares. I knew they’d have to be small to agree to work with my tiny orders and also that it would be smart to find a few as if I only found one, it might not be a good fit for my business and vice versa over the long term. Sure enough two of the three makers I enlisted dropped off very early on in the piece (I think I was too fussy for them) and the third became my long term maker.

The skills involved in footwear making are second nature to the team I work with. The industry is held in very high regard and each participant takes a great deal of pride in each stage of the making process. I think this sense of pride and achievement leads to maintaining the high quality we have come to expect from Italian shoe making. Although I sometimes find the distance and different appreciation of timing and deadlines a challenge with working in Italy, the high quality level of what they produce more than makes up for this and unless this changes I would never consider making my shoes anywhere else.

You now have 2 retail stores in Melbourne; do you have plans for further retail expansion? What’s next for habbot Studios? 

We have two busy city stores in Melbourne, and I would love to tackle the Sydney market next. I know the Melbourne market very well, and so there is an element of fear associated with heading interstate, but I think the time has come because we definitely have a lot of interstate clients now who purchase on-line or make a beeline for us when they are visiting Melbourne. I think 2017 will be the year for habbot in Sydney … and beyond.

Are you a flats or heels person?

Absolutely flats. I love the look of heels (especially a block heel) but I only wear them about twice a year which leaves 363 days in flats. I’m 39 now and I think I missed the boat on heels as I do occasionally wear them to special events but I always carry a pair of back-up flats in my bag which come about after about an hour! I just find that I get frustrated because I have to walk slowly in heels and am a terrible dancer in heels! I think much better in flats so I could never wear heels to work. You’ll find me in a pair of lace-ups 5 days a week and I love trainers and have a good collection of high-tops which come out on weekends.

habbot shoes

THE STRAND MELBOURNE

shop 10, The Strand Melbourne. 250 Elizabeth street.
Melbourne VICTORIA 3000
ph: 03 9662 9158
mon-thu: 10-6, fri: 10-8, sat: 10-6, sun: 11-6.

ROYAL ARCADE

shop 23, Royal Arcade. 335 Bourke street.
Melbourne VICTORIA 3000
ph: 03 9663 2839
mon-thu: 10-6, fri: 10-7, sat: 10-5, sun: 10-5.