There’s something so mundane, so rigid in structure about a Press Release, that I’ve just put it off time & time again.
⦁ Pre-Orders Available On Kickstarter, Monday 27th February – March 28th. (The shoes are over 20% cheaper for those who Pre-order on Kickstarter, than for those who order later.)
⦁ Beginning with Special Edition Shoes, pictured above, to celebrate the launch of the label, Only 300 Pairs of each Shoe will EVER be made
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⦁ The Factory producing the order, has made shoes for Puma & Skechers.
⦁ KingOfSoles is being launched by just me, Glenn Heaslip, it’s not a group, there aren’t 40 lads in suits standing around. I got to this point by buying all sorts wholesale and selling it, from robot hoovers to vaporizers, clothes, etc, at carboot sales, ebay, local classified sites. Before that it was half minimum wage bar work, 16 hour shifts a day, 1 day off a month.This is like the fabled American Dream, but’s it’s the Irish Reality. I was never meant to do this. I’m on the verge of something, it could be madness, it could be success, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. But whatever it is, it’s not what was expected for / by me.
⦁ I know I’m the underdog. It’s a tough industry to crack. I relish the challenge, I’m foaming at the mouth at the prospect. Given the chance I will make it my mission to rip bigger brands apart, (both at the seams & the heart.) King Of Soles wins on quality, price, comfort, attention to detail & actually giving a sh*t. The whole point of this label, was that there’s no need for the ridiculous mark-ups shoe labels charge their customers.
⦁ Just look at the shoes you’re wearing right now, how many other people are wearing those same shoes today, around the world, 80,000? These shoes, there’ll only ever be 60 Pairs made in each Size, that’s it, so you know a maximum of 59 other people in the world have this same shoe, in this same size. It’s an opportunity to own the rarest shoe you ever could own.
⦁ My Hightops are ; Premium Action Leather Upper, with a Mesh Lining, Chambray Cushion Insole, TPR Outsole + A Set of Custom Screw On Lace Tips, with King Of Soles and Crown, laser etched onto them, included with each Pair. All For Only €70. What would big brands charge for a smiliar quality shoe €200 – €250 +
I was selling a lot on ebay, different sites, and people would often tell me they loved their product & thank me. I’d think why are you thanking me? I didn’t make this, I bought it at one price & sold it at another, nothing more. I take no credit (or blame!)
If people didn’t buy a vaporizer, jersey, etc from me, they’d buy it elsewhere, nobody remembers the ebay seller, nobody notices, you’re one of many selling the same thing, if your seller account disappeared it’d never be noted. So a desire to make something, that people loved and enjoyed was born.
Years earlier, I was inspired by spray painted custom shoes. I’d seen these selling at €300 a pair, as amazing as they were, the paint will inevitably one day crack and the integrity of the design be ruined. I wanted the design to last, and thought people should be getting these shoes much cheaper, much better quality, the design patterns should be printed into a leather fabric, not sprayed onto it.
This was something bubbling and festering in my mind for years. It was reignited when I read a piece on the businesses with the highest mark ups, I just thought the shoe industry was obscene in terms of how much they overcharge customers. My favourite shoes that I’ve ever seen, they’ve been in windows. I’ve definitely not owned them.
Also around that time, early 2014, I read a piece about ”planned obsolescence”. Very few people can say they’ve bought a nice looking pair of shoes at an affordable price & they’ve lasted years. King Of Soles will provide shoe quality that’ll allow you to stay out of the shoe stores for a long time.
Designer shoe brands mark up their prices up to 12 times. Ask yourself what are you really paying for? Chances are the shoes you’re wearing are mass-manufactured in factories that purposefully make low-quality products that wear out quickly, so you need to buy new shoes every few months. This is an extremely wasteful practice known as “planned obsolescence.”
Unlike brands that mass-manufacture low quality products in wasteful factories, King Of Soles believes everyone should have access to beautiful, affordable shoes that last a lifetime.
If just given the chance our shoes quality will speak for themselves.
But here’s a rough outlay of shenanigans as they stand, if you want to contact me, any questions, etc, you can at ; info@kingofsoles.ie
Contact Information:
Photos: www.dropbox.com
