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Fiction mirrors fact05 January 2009 |  0 comments |  Print This Page
Happy New Year to all readers and friends of World Leather and leatherbiz. We have lots of new, ambitious ideas to help us and the whole of the leather industry move forward in 2009. We know times are tough, but it strikes us that it's more important than ever for companies across this and all other industries to keep looking for new ideas, new markets and new niches.
At the end of the Christmas holiday, I chanced upon a film on BBC television called Kinky Boots. Trust me, it's not normally the sort of title that attracts me. However, I thought the story was brilliant and at least as relevant today as when the film came out at the end of 2005.
A footwear manufacturer in Northampton is faced with closure as the customer for its only remaining order for its traditional Goodyear-welted men’s shoes cancels. The main character, Charlie, who has just inherited the firm from his father, has to lay off 15 workers as one of his first tasks. One of the 15, the feisty Lauren, urges him to come up with a new direction, a new niche, rather than just giving up.
On a visit to London to try to offload some of the stock from the cancelled order, he comes to the aid of Lola, a drag queen, who is being pursued by four thugs. Lola reveals that broken stilleto heels are a serious professional hazard, and the idea for Charlie’s new niche emerges—
steel-reinforced,
high-heel boots in suede and patent leather that are strong enough and wide enough for cross-dressing men—with Lola moving to Northampton to become the firm’s main design consultant.
The UK’s footwear capital is portrayed as a provincial town with an old-fashioned attitude towards alternative lifestyles. Nevertheless, Lola manages to win over the workforce and the entire team works round the clock to make sure the new boot collection is ready to show off at an international footwear fair in Milan. The boots knock the footwear world dead and Charlie's family firm lives to fight another day.
In case anyone is thinking about trying this idea in real life, it's worth pointing out that Steve Pateman, managing director of WJ Brooks, has already moved into this particular market—the film is based on his experience.
I don't move in circles that would
allow me to offer an assessment of how plausible it would be to set up in competition. All I can do is wish you good luck in your search for market segments that allow your company to survive and thrive.
And when the time comes to share your story and you can't get the people from Miramax to return your calls, you know that you can always rely on us to provide an alternative platform.
Stephen Tierney
Editor
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