PRLog (Press Release) –
Apr 09, 2008 – A new online retail store catering to women with large feet has emerged. The U. S. company, Sovereignty KO Collections, LLC ®, launched with the primary purpose of serving a community of women who have routinely been ignored by the footwear industry.
Providing a selection of stylish footwear, www.skocollection.com will focus on customers in sizes 9 – 15. Although some momentum has been gained in the industry with a small rash of manufacturers and online retailers offering more selections in larger sizes, women in this size range remain largely underserved.
In 2007, CEO of Sovereignty KO Collections, Karyn Taylor-Okelo, set out to make these women her primary focus. The company’s hope is to distinguish itself by sticking to the corporate mission—to focus purely on the underserved large sized women’s shoe market, and to become a household name for women seeking exclusivity and normality where they have never had it. It seems like a big task, but the company has noticed that their competitors never quite focus on the “overs” (size 10 and up), without bifurcating corporate resources by including other sizes, so they rarely go deep in providing stylish and fashionable shoes in larger sizes to their customers. Consequently, these customers still feel neglected. That is the feeling SKO hopes to eradicate. “What you see in a size 9, you will see in a size 12 and 13,” says Taylor-Okelo.
Research shows that this market encompasses approximately 24 million women in the U.S. population. The average shoe size as reported by NPD group, a marketing research firm, is 8.5. But this figure, Taylor-Okelo cautions, is based on buying customers. Many women in the 9 – 15 shoe size range do not shop regularly because they know there are not any shoes in their size. When reports like these are made, typically, the figures do not include a large number of representatives from this market share. The messages are loud and clear from the footwear industry, if unintentional, that these women are not welcome in most of the stores.
Although she exclaims, “some manufacturer sales reps have openly confirmed a larger average size as 9-9.5 during our buyer’s visit at trade shows.” Recognizing this, www.skocollections.com starts at size 9 to15. She admits getting sizes 14 and15 is still a challenge, but works with manufacturers to provide styles on a custom basis.
Sovereignty KO Collections recognizes that its largest challenge is changing the psyche of larger foot woman. Surveys conducted by the company, show ladies wearing size 11 and up only shop twice a year--a rate that is unthinkably low for women wearing size 9 and under, who shop bi-monthly for shoes. “The SKO customer needs to know that she is embraced and valued by the industry and we want her to recognize Sovereignty KO Collections as that source.” After all, the name stands for “legitimate domain” and “whole.” And that is exactly how we want our customers to feel. Taylor-Okelo is committed to revolutionizing the industry as she wears size12 herself and has experienced the pain first-hand of being turned away from retailers and e-tailers alike.
This company is for the fashion savvy woman who wants to feel stylish, elegant and sexy. It offers a selection of trendy and classic footwear from brands such as Van Eli, Samanta, Corso Como and between prices $85 and $300. As more designer brands reach out to larger sizes they will be added to the mix. Accessories and handbags are offered too. The company invites customers to shop risk-free with free shipping and returns within the Continental US, so they can buy, try on and return what they don’t like. The company has partnered with manufacturers and designer who incorporate fashion and comfort into their designs so customers are sure to be happy with their initial purchase. To insure that large feet customers aren’t left out on the other side of the planet, international shipping is also available.
