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LiciousTastic has been Diana Rikasari’s UP Shoes customer for the past few months now. UP’s collection and quality is considered bar none with other urban women shoes stores out there in the online world. Curious with the success story behind UP, LicisousTastic interviewed Diana at her home yesterday. Check this out.
1. Fashion blogger to business owner. How did that happen? What’s the story behind UP shoes?
I’m not sure myself! Hahah! I guess it all just happened because I love shoes, and I wanted to share that love with everybody. And I found it difficult to find good, stylish shoes at an affordable price, so I guess I wanted to change all that.
UP itself is a business for togetherness. I want UP to be about “them”, not “me”. So it’s about making other people happy, either the people who buy and pay a fair price for a great pair of shoes, or those who happen to be the ones who benefit from our monthly donations. That’s because for every pair of UP shoes purchased, IDR 5.000 is allocated for charity. We sell, share and care.
2. Asking ‘why shoes’ might be too general, so we’ll be more specific: why wedges?
We’re all about elevating women’s height at comfort, and we find wedges to be just the right choice. We’re currently in the development stage of creating comfortable heels as well, but we’re taking our time to do enough research so that we can be confident about our own product once it’s launched.
3. Tell us about your latest collection.
At UP, we do not classify our shoes based on seasons or collections, but we make sure that we stick to our mantra, “not too high, not too low, nothing over-the-top, just the right dose”. This goes with our philosophy that nothing is really ever ‘in’ or ‘out’, therefore our shoes will always be a perfect companion at any time for many occasions. We want to be the last resort when a woman goes, “what should i wear?” and end up with the same shoes over and over again. we want them to end UP with UP.
4. What fashion items do you recommend wedges to be worn with?
Wedges look cool with cropped trousers. They look super comfy when worn with shorts. Wedges can also look sweet with dresses.
5. Which UP shoes are your personal favorite?
My personal favorite is Stella, and it’s actually the shoes I wear almost everyday. It’s like wearing Birkenstock sandals with heels. Casual yet womanly cool!
6. Which international celebrities do you want to see wearing your UP shoes?
I’d love to see Katy Perry or Zooey Deschanel in UP. I think their personalities fit best with UP.
7. What’s your take on today’s local online fashion scene? Is it true that youngsters would rather buy bootleg branded stuff rather than go for original creations?
True. But I think everything needs time, and I am very much certain that local brands WILL take the lead over international brands in near time. It’s not always about being patriotic, that buying local brands shows your nationalism. That’s not a justification to use as an entrepreneur. I think, we should be able to make people willing to buy local brands, NOT because we’re Indonesian, but because we’re actually THAT good.
8. What are the essential five things a person should have to start a business such as yours?
- Guts – nothing else more important.
- A sound plan – never say, “we’ll see how it goes”. You MUST know what you want to do, why and how.
- Network – get to know & gain access to all the people you need to work with even before you start your business. Network is the BEST investment.
- Good timing – read the market, know when you should enter it.
- Faith – failure is not an option. You yourself must be convinced that it’ll work out.
9. Name five fashion items a girl should have.
Black sheer tights, grey jersey, comfortable wedges / heels, crisp blazer, tea dress.
10. If you were a shoe, whose shoe do you want to be and why?
Mom. She’s my diamond.