Kathryn Wilson – Shoe Business
Jul 31, 2025
Words: Cameron Officer
Photography: Vinesh Kumaran
Over the last 20-plus years, Kathryn Wilson has become the preeminent name in New Zealand shoe design; a goal she set for herself as a teenager in South Auckland. But she has been able to mix plenty of fun in with the hard work getting to this point in her career. “Put a pair of shoes you like on, and you feel like you can take on the world. I love that about what we do,” she says.
Kathryn Wilson is on the verge of opening her next boutique in Arrowtown. It’s her fourth store and her fi rst in the South Island. Everything for the store fi tout is on its way south, as will Wilson be within hours of our catch-up with her. There’s plenty going on and that’s before you even consider the build-up to New Zealand Fashion Week, which is making its return in August, and at which Wilson has a runway show.
Frantic? Maybe. Underneath at least. But when we catch up, Wilson is relaxed, ebullient, downright hilarious actually. She is massively passionate about what she does, and proud of the brand she has grown from scratch. But there’s no doubt that doesn’t leave room for a good laugh at the same time, for having fun. It’s an attitude Wilson says she inherited from her mother.
“My father passed away when I was seven which was terrible. But mum brought my two sisters and I up with the mindset that you need to have fun whileyou're here; to make the most of what you have and enjoy every minute,” she says.
“Mum was a primary school teacher and worked hard, but she also found the fun in everything that she did. She taught us all very early on; choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day inyour life.”
Multiple jobs, apprenticeships, internships. Sweeping up in factories but learning about the business all the time; Wilson exhibited a work ethic from the get-go. She says growing up in Papakura in the 1980s meant you had to work hard to get somewhere. But magnetically drawn to design – and shoe design in particular – Wilson was strategic about how she accumulated knowledge and inspiration.
A Certificate in Fashion Design at AUT was followed by a Bachelor of Design at Wellington’s Massey University. Wilson went to the UK next, where she studied shoe design at Nottingham Trent University. It was a period of time which she says opened her eyes to the scale of the industry. This was in the late 1990s and early 2000s; a moment when New Zealand designers were cementing a reputation on the global stage. Design heroes like Kate Sylvester and Karen Walker were gaining immense international recognition.
“I looked up to them and thought at the time, ‘Imagine if I could be that in shoes?’ There was a real urgency about it for me – I wanted to cement my name before anyone else did!” she laughs. “I was absolutely inspired by the scale of the industry and the potential of what I could create. Like if you want to go to a party, you don't want to be turning up in the same outfit as someone else – I felt like that about shoes.”
Success built over the next few years, with Wilson wholesaling her products through approximately 80 stockists. Her shoes were sold in LA, New York and Hong Kong. But she knew wholesaling to other suppliers was a double-edged sword, being reliant on those stockists doing a good job with her brand. Ever one to take charge of her own fortune, Wilson knew she needed her own supply chain and stores. It was a tactile solution that took guts – and a lot of learning – but one that accelerated everything.
How has the industry changed since then? Perhaps most notably, the notion of ‘fast fashion’ – with a business model built around the replication and mass production of recent catwalk trends at low cost – has been a topic of debate. Wilson says in many respects fast fashion has always been a factor in the industry.
“You know, back at the start of the Millennium, I was 20 and already coming through when the likes of Top Shop was huge – the big high street retailers,” she says. “Some of those big chain stores were a threat to the industry even then, if you see it as that.
“But the other side of it is to remain innovative and creating products that are top quality. New Zealand is famous for other high-quality products like wine, or beef, or dairy. You could say exactly the same for our fashion output.
“So, I don’t think we’re competing in that fast fashion space, and I don't think we should be. Our point of difference – our promise to our customers – is providing something that's going to last, something with longevity, something quality based. Our sustainability promise, the longevity of our products and how we innovate in creating them; that elevates us above it.”
With New Zealand Fashion Week making a welcome return in August, there will be plenty of innovation on show. Once the Arrowtown boutique has opened its doors, Wilson’s own catwalk show, and the opportunities New Zealand Fashion Week affords, will be front of mind.
“We've always seen New Zealand Fashion Week as a celebration, a moment to celebrate our brand and our products and see it all come to life on the catwalk. But it’s also about celebrating the industry. And that’s everything from makeup artists, to stylists, to manufacturers, to pattern makers, photographers; there are so many people that make the wheels turn.
“It's a real shout-out to the people behind the scenes that make the magic happen. I mean of course the designers and the collections you see on the catwalk are uplifting and fun. But it's also a really neat way for designers and anyone in the industry to come together and share ideas.
“It’s a networking opportunity that we don't really get outside of Fashion Week. It’s essentially our annual industry event. Often it might be the only time that you'll see someone who's in the South Island and you know, you don't get to see face-to-face all that often. It’s a vital link for the industry, as well as a chance for people to see what’s new.”
Getting out and into her stores, Wilson also loves meeting customers. It’s another vital link, this time with fans of what she creates. “I love being on the shop floor – any feedback is good feedback,” she says. “And yes, I’m in the position where there are customers that love what we create and curate collections of their favourite pieces – that’s amazing support to have.
“We do these wonderful corporate hosting nights in store where they'll bring 20 women in, we have champagne, I'll tell the story of the brand, and they all get to try something on. It's a cool community because it is about actually empowering the wearer and feeling confident.
“Some women really appreciate getting advice on how to wear things – not so much simply just what’s on trend. With our pieces, well they’re designed and made with longevity in mind. They’re an investment in yourself – you can wear those heels for the next 10 years; they're not going to date.”
After over 23 years in business, Wilson says so many of the learnings she has had have nothing to do with fashion or being a shoe designer. Learning to run a business in a fiercely competitive industry, mentoring in a commercial sense has always been important to her. And it’s something she is looking to give back.
“It's a really important thing for the industry to keep nurturing and mentoring. I’d like to spend more time mentoring the next group to come through,” she says. “It’s important if we want to keep this New Zealand name proud – we’re very well regarded for design, and not just in a fashion context. Supporting the next names coming through is intrinsic to that reputation remaining into the future.”
And after all the business of running her brand is set aside, Wilson still absolutely loves shoes.
“I love working with footwear, and how happy shoes make people feel. Like how it makes the customers feel when they come in and try something. It can change their whole mood. They look down and they’re like, ‘Oh I'm so happy!’ That’s joy and you can’t beat it.”