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Stepping up to height of fashion
By Elaine Sheridan
 With
British fashionistas gearing up for next month’s London Fashion
Week one Irish shoe designer is preparing for her busiest time of the
year.
Cynthia Fortune Rainey — from Caherdaniel in Co. Kerry — and
her business partner Shirley Sum are now putting the finishing touches
to their latest collection, which will be unveiled to the world’s
media in February.
Their company SumFortune Shoes is the meeting of two fresh and feisty
minds.
The women met eight years ago while studying footwear design at Cordwainers
College in London — where elite designers Jimmy Choo and Patrick
Cox also graduated.
And over the past few years the two flamboyant cobblers have managed to
keep their business plans in sight as they juggled career and family commitments.
Their first shoe collection made it from planning stages on to the pavements
in 2006 with A-Listers like Kylie Minogue, model Kate Moss and rock singer
Beth Ditto snapping them up.
The London launch was so highly regarded that the snazzy shoes featured
in many pages of top magazines including Vogue and Harpers.
Fortune-Rainey says that growing up in the beautiful surroundings of Kerry
contributed to her creativity and helped nurture her artistic nature.
The 31-year-old said: “Although I did a brief stint at Trinity College
studying classical civilization and Italian, I knew I wanted much more.
“I had always wanted to do something creative but didn’t know
exactly what.
“I always had an obsession with shoes and fashion in general. Growing
up in the Ring of Kerry helped open up my mind and imagination.”
Fortune-Rainey says that a move to the bright lights of London and a chance
meeting with an artist sparked her desire to enrol in the well-known shoe
college in Covent Garden.
She said: “I had no idea there was a shoe college in London.
“I had an interview and got in.
“It was a three-year degree where I learned all aspects of working
with leather including saddles, bridles and bags.
“It was very hands on, getting experience in design and pattern
cutting — right down to the factory floor.”
While studying at the college in the heart of London’s West End
Fortune-Rainey met her husband restaurateur Saffron Rainey with whom she
had Maybelle — the couple’s five-year-old daughter.
The designer is also related (by marriage) to Irish model Jasmine Guinness.
But having already known her from her days living in Dublin, she was asked
to design Guinness’s white satin wedding shoes last summer.
And so it is no surprise that the Sumfortune Shoe collection is causing
a stir over here.
The mother-of-one believes that the British consumer has an incredible
respect for Irish designers.
She said: “I think the Irish have a certain flair and passion.
“We seem to be quite brave with our designs yet hold on to our more
earthy, organic roots when designing our wares.
“There’s no-one to compare with the likes of Philip Treacy
or Lainey Keogh when it comes to style.”
At the moment the handmade shoes are designed and made in a workshop in
the loft of Fortune-Rainey’s house in Kilburn, as well as a small
factory in London’s East End.
The pair plan to open up a shop of their own and develop the brand further.
For now though it’s all systems go before a frantic week at the
Natural History Museum where the who’s who of fashion will attend.
London Fashion Week takes place from February 10-15.
SumFortune Shoes are available in Matches Boutique on Ledbury Road, W11
and at The Shop at Bluebird on Kings Road, Chelsea.
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