Two Canadian women with long resumes working for luxury brands like Holt Renfrew have created an ecommerce destination for designer shoes. Appropriately so, The September’s launch comes today.
The cofounders are Christine Carlton and Aynsley Wintrip Harris, who possesses possibly the best name I’ve ever heard. Carlton most recently held the position of VP of Holt Renfrew’s accessories division. She spent 17 years with the company. Meanwhile Harris left her job at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts after 10 years spent in corporate marketing.
The September will offer Canadian women access to the designer brands they love, without the inconvenience and extra cost of ordering from international sites. It was something the pair felt was lacking in the Canadian online market.
“We saw an opportunity in the Canadian market for an online shopping experience at the luxury level,” said Carlton. “Our website will be welcome news for women who want to shop online without having to pay for duty and shipping.”
According to the September, Canadian shoppers purchasing a pair of shoes online can be hit with as much as 40 percent of the original cost. The September will price its products relative to other retailers and will not charge customers for duty charges, shipping or return costs. I might imagine that there’s a few ladies out there who will be looking into this site.
“Canadian women will be familiar with many of the brands we carry and we plan to introduce them to emerging brands as well,” said Carlton. “We have curated a beautiful assortment of designer shoes with stylish Canadian women in mind.”
The site will carry such brands as Valentino; Michael Kors, from his new designer shoe collection launching this fall; Brian Atwood; Marc by Marc Jacobs; as well as emerging designers Paul Andrew;and Aquazzura. Each season will bring new brands and a wider selection of products.
The site will also regularly feature Style Profiles of Canadian women and explore elements of their lifestyle, including their approach to fashion, the way they entertain, travel and design their homes. Startups are constantly trying to improve their original content, revolving around whatever product they offer. If a Canadian site like The September can consistently churn out quality content for its member base, it could have a huge impact with Canadian high-end shoe shoppers.
The September was named for the most celebrated month in fashion. A time when Canadian and international fashion magazines produce inches-thick fall fashion issues and the fashion capitals of the world host their shows.
“We’re thrilled to introduce Canadian women to a homegrown online shopping option for designer shoes,” said Carlton. “We’re looking forward to giving people that excited feeling they get from fall shopping, 12 months of the year.”