A women's online footwear retailer set up by two De Montfort
University (DMU) fashion graduates has been shortlisted for a
Midlands business award.
Beth Widdowson (22) and Lizze Leary (21), both from
Leicestershire, launched their company, Kindred Sole, which is
based at DMU's Innovation Centre, in October 2009 after winning a
place on the University's Enterprise Inc programme.
The 2010 Women on their Way (WOW) Awards are sponsored by
Barclays Wealth, Flybe, Radisson and Harvey Nichols, and aim to
celebrate and recognise the energy that women can bring into work
and their resolve to make a difference. The awards are the
brainchild of Jo Cameron, best known for her appearance on the
BBC's The Apprentice, and Lisa Ibbotson.
Kindred Sole is in the running for the Start-up Award for 'women
on their way to running a thriving enterprise on their own or with
limited resources'.
Kindred Sole provides an extensive range of the finest designs,
crafted from premium materials and sourced from around the world.
In the company's first week of business, the website was viewed in
76 countries, which led to international shipping being introduced
earlier than planned. Beth and Lizze are now shipping to customers
as far away as Tokyo, Japan.
Commenting on the awards, Beth said: "We're really excited to be
recognised by the WOW Awards. We began researching ideas for
Kindred Sole during our studies at DMU and only launched the
business towards the end of last year with the help of the Campus
Enterprise Opportunities (CEO) team at university, who gave us
access to office space, mentors and funding - all crucial to the
successful beginnings of Kindred Sole."
Lizze added: "The recession heavily influenced our decision to
go into business as last year was the worst year for UK graduates
to enter the work place after graduation. After seeing so many
fantastic designs by up and coming designers, we wanted to offer
fashion conscious women a better alternative to the high street
shops that were playing it safe due to the financial climate. We
currently only supply women's shoes, but we are looking to extend
this service to menswear and introducing complimentary accessories
and fashion items to make Kindred Sole a one stop fashion
shop."
The winners of the WOW Awards will be announced at Aston Villa
Football Club on Friday 19 March.
For further information about DMU's Enterprise Inc programme
please visit www.enterpriseinc.co.uk