Who can forget the iconic Kitten heels that Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana popularized by strutting in them? Well, Linda Bennett brought them into the fashion market through her luxury brand L.K.Bennett.
Linda’s passionate journey with footwear began in the 1970’s as she was fascinated by her mother’s select collection of cork-heeled platforms and dusky pink sandals. She fell in love with them and soon enrolled in a footwear design course at Cordwainers College in Hackney, East London. Upon completion of the course, she worked at Robert Clergerie studios in Paris. Meanwhile, she identified a gap in the market where flattering heels were not really worn at the workplace. Realizing that this could be a breakthrough, she ventured into footwear in 1990 with a glamorous brand.
“I don’t see anything wrong with putting comfort before style but I also don’t see why you can’t have both. I sometimes wear flip-flops to work but I love wearing beautiful shoes too. What I like about the kitten heel is that it looks extremely elegant but it is not too high to wear through the day” Linda says.
The brand which was established in the 90’s needs no introduction, operating throughout the UK from 49 stores and 64 concessions and more than 260 shops and concessions in 30 countries. This British brand was initiated by Linda Bennet with a vision of bringing “a bit of Bond Street luxury to the High Street”. Bennett founded the company in 1990 with its first store in Wimbledon, South London. With The rise of the company, Bennett earned the nickname “Queen of the Kitten Heel”. She was the recipient of the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year Award.
The company which started with delivering feminine footwear, stands as a crowd favourite till date and is the gotta place for many fashionistas. Later the brand ventured into clothes, handbags, accessories and much more, quickly coming into limelight as the one stop for all things feminine and fashion. High profile people like Cherie Blair and the actress, Minnie Driver are among her clientele.
“I remember getting really excited about shoes, my mother would come back with as a child. My daughter, who is three, loves them too. The third word she ever learnt was shoes, after mama and dada,” she recollects.
Ready-to-wear collections were launched in 1998, earning L.K.Bennett a spot among the leading fashion houses that offer complete wardrobe solutions for all occasions. Bennett opened a boutique in Paris in 2000 and opened several stores and concessions in Spain, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and the United States including in-store concessions in chains including Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, John Lewis, Fenwick, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.
The brand has been a face of confidence and style for women. All their collections are designed in-house with scribbled handwriting which is a mix of unique detailing and vibrant colours. They also offer distinctive prints, florals with a smug fit and A1 quality.
Womenswear retailer LK Bennett’s founder, Linda Bennett, has increased her investment in the company to buy out the remaining equity from private equity owner Phoenix Equity Partners.
Phoenix Equity bought LK Bennett in 2008 in a deal estimated to be worth £80m-£100m. This move was due to the decision by Linda to spend some time away from work and focus on her family. The company aims to expand and launch more stores in China, Russia, Qatar, the US and the UK in the near future.
To shop some amazing luxury pieces that are authentic and have elegance sprawled all over them, head to www.lkbennett.com right away!
