Jodie Fox had the same problem many women have when shoe shopping – finding the right fit in the right colour in the shape she wanted.
‘I’d always liked shoes, but I never loved them because I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Either it wasn’t quite the right colour, there was an embellishment I didn’t like, or not quite the right heel height. I didn’t love shoes until I could design them myself.’
Jodie Fox, 35, raised $30 million in investment for the online customised shoe company Shoes of Prey she came up with on a Gold Coast beach
She was aiming to solve a problem many women have while shoe shopping – finding the right fit in the right colour in the shape she wanted
So the 35-year-old launched a business selling customised shoes through a website allowing customers to choose the colour, fabric, accessories, and size to suit them.
Shoes of Prey, named after the thrill of the hunt Ms Fox likens to shopping, has since 2009 raised $30.6 million in funding and this week expanded into sneakers.
Among its customers are singers Rihanna and Carly Rae Jepsen, models Elle Macpherson and Robyn Lawley, and even Kate Middleton.
It all began when the former lawyer and her then-husband Michael were soaking up the afternoon sun on a Gold Coast beach during the 2008 Christmas holidays, tossing around ideas for a startup.
Ms Fox launched a business selling customised shoes through a website allowing customers to choose the colour, fabric, accessories, and size to suit them
Shoes of Prey was named after the thrill of the hunt Ms Fox likens to shopping
‘When I was travelling, in the same way that you find someone who will make a custom suit for you, I found someone with whom I could commission shoe designs,’ Ms Fox recalled.
‘My shoe collection became really exciting, and my girlfriends asked me where I was getting my footwear. When I explained, they asked me to create shoes for them too.’
They started out in 2009 with just Mr and Ms Fox and their friend Mike Knapp, working from her one bedroom flat in Sydney.
‘In the beginning, our biggest hurdle was getting other people to understand what it was we were doing. We had to provide a lot of education around the idea, she said.
It all began when she and then-husband Michael were soaking up the afternoon sun on a Gold Coast beach during the 2008 Christmas holidays
They started out in 2009 with just Mr and Ms Fox and their friend Mike Knapp, working from her one bedroom flat in Sydney
More than six million shoes have been designed on Shoes of Prey’s website since it began
‘We also had to build our reputations from scratch, as we were three twenty-somethings building a totally pie-in-the-sky idea.’
More than six million shoes have been designed on Shoes of Prey’s website since then, shipping to 100 countries and worn anywhere from the shops to the catwalk.
Ms Fox moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to grow the business in the U.S., which is now ‘by far’ its biggest market, with 200 staff in Australia, LA, and Asia.
Despite no one pair being the same with hundreds of different customising options, shoes are delivered from its factory in China within two weeks.
The company ships to 100 countries and its shoes are worn anywhere from the shops to the catwalk
Ms Fox moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to grow the business in the U.S., which is now ‘by far’ its biggest market, with 200 staff in Australia, LA, and Asia
Despite no one pair being the same with hundreds of different customising options, shoes are delivered from its factory in China within two weeks
They don’t come cheap, however, starting at $200 each and aimed at women aged in their 30s and 40s with the disposable income to afford them.
Ms Fox’s journey has not been without its setbacks, however, as the expensive and ill-fated attempt to establish a bricks-and-mortar presence showed.
Shoes of Prey’s six ‘design studios’ in Nordstrom department stores across the U.S. and in David Jones in Australia were supposed to be the next part of its evolution.
But the shopfronts, started after people started walking in to its Sydney headquarters hoping to try on shoes, made up 25 per cent of the company’s costs while only raking in 15 per cent of its revenue.
They don’t come cheap, however, starting at $200 each and aimed at women aged in their 30s and 40s with the disposable income to afford them
The company also cost her her marriage to Michael, who she met at university aged 20 in Brisbane and wed in 2006
All of them closed last October and Ms Fox has spent the past year trying to rebound from the disappointment and get back to Shoes of Prey’s online roots.
The company also cost her her marriage to Michael, who she met at university aged 20 in Brisbane and wed in 2006.
Ms Fox said when they got home from work they found it hard to switch off and give each other the support they needed without bring the office home.
‘I don’t think we fought any more than most couples do, but found when we had time to socialise it just wasn’t exciting to be with each other,’ Mr Fox told Good Weekend.
Ms Fox at the company’s Sydney office in 2013 before she moved to Los Angeles
Ms Fox serves as chief creative officer and is the face of the brand, while her former Google staffer ex-husband is chief executive
They divorced in 2012 and Mr Fox has a new girlfriend, but remained good friends and continued to run the company.
Ms Fox serves as chief creative officer and is the face of the brand, while her former Google staffer ex-husband is chief executive.
Shoes of Prey this week made its first big move since the failure of its shopfronts, adding sneakers to its range with the same customised offering.
With women’s athletic footwear a rapidly-growing market, its customers can now add custom lining and lace tips, platform heights and monogramming to sneakers.
Swimsuit model Robyn Lawley attends the VIBES by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2017 launch festival wearing a pair of Shoes of Prey heels
Shoes of Prey this week made its first big move since the failure of its shopfronts, adding sneakers (pictured on a model) to its range with the same customised offering
With women’s athletic footwear a rapidly-growing market, its customers can now add custom lining and lace tips, platform heights and monogramming to sneakers
‘Sneakers are well and truly integrated into everyday fashion, and we’re seeing women become more accustomed to balancing style and comfort,’ Ms Fox said.
‘Our range of contemporary sneaker styles were developed with the confident, stylish and unique woman in mind.
‘We developed sleek silhouettes with smooth and clean lines for a refined aesthetic that’s perfect for dressing up or down, maintaining comfort without compromising on style.’
Despite burning through more than $1 million on the shopfronts in two months last year, the company is also poised to return to profitability by year’s end
Ms Fox’s next plan is to slash delivery time to just two days to become the ‘Amazon Prime Now’ for custom women’s shoes
Despite burning through more than $1 million on the shopfronts in two months last year, the company is also poised to return to profitability by year’s end.
Ms Fox’s next plan is to slash delivery time to just two days to become the ‘Amazon Prime Now’ for custom women’s shoes.
‘We have our sights set on opening manufacturing hubs to be able to offer same-day delivery of custom on-demand shoes and we believe we’ll achieve that goal in the not-too-distant future,’ she said.