Kandee Shoe Love

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm in love with Kandee shoes and at Christmas my gorgeous boyfriend bought me a pair of the Kandee Tigra booties. Everyday, as silly as it may sound, I look at these boots, because I love the soft tiger print uniquely contrasted with the glitter glam sparkles. Little did  I know, that after falling in love with these booties, I would be invited to the press launch of the Kandee's 2012 Spring/Summer collection and meeting, the one and only, Josh Wayman.

The event took place at the beautiful Sanderson Hotel in Oxford Circus on the 8th of February and due to living up North of England, it took me 12 hours worth of travelling that day, but it was worth it. Stepping foot into the room was like stepping into Kandee land. A whole room dedicated to chocolate and Shoes, it's every girls heaven. Resting on a display of giant liquorice alsorts was the new shoe collection: lots of sparkles, different colours and wacky designs. 

The new Kandee range has something for everyone. There's a little bit of sparkle, the return of famous Peanut Butter Crunchie boot,  Smartee heels and now, Kandee has launched a series of funky flats. Every item looks like a perfect statement piece and honestly, I could not chose which was my favourite.

Whilst attending the event, I managed to catch up with Head Designer and British CEO Josh Wayman. He seemed such a lovely guy, permanently smiling as he watched his newest line unfold to the masses of media and PR representatives. At the age of 22, he has achieved what many designers only dream of. His first collection had been near to selling out and his newest collection was the talk of the fashion world. He wants this collection to be bigger and better than ever and his launch party definitely screams out for celebration.  I asked him what his main influence was behind the spring/summer collection and he told me how Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and sweeties had become a main factor.  Each shoe comes with its own sweetie or sugary flavoured name: 'The Rhubarbie', 'Mash 'a' Mallow','Apple Sourz', 'Wham'  and that's only naming a few. Josh wanted his collection to be accessible for everyone and an estimated £140 for a statement piece that will get everyone talking, isn't a bad price to pay. Unlike many designers, Josh told me that he realises: " Not everyone can afford to buy the latest high fashion pieces, that's why I want my collection to be affordable fashion. I'm happy to venture into commercial fashion, but each shoe has to have the Josh Factor". When discussing the height of his shoes, there was one aspect that left Josh quite heated. " It's heels or no heels", he said, "I can officially say I won't be bringing out kitten heels". With the newest flat shoe range, yet again there's something for everyone and Josh Wayman has definitely hit yet another target market.

It wasn't just members of the media that attended the launch, we happened to bump into several familiar faces. Kitty Brucknell from the recent XFactor came to join the celebrations, Nicola Mclean - Model, Celebrity Big Brother contestant and former 'I'm a Celeb' contestant, Harry from The Only Way is Essex and the fabulous Amy Childs from The Only Way is Essex.

Catch up with Kitty Brucknell

Favourite Shoe: Peanut Butter Booties or Wham

Why do you love Kandee Shoes: They are cool, different and a dash of diva.

What's happening in the life of Kitty?

When I talked to Kitty she was incredibly lively and being with her for a few minutes, you was injected with her fun and vibrant personality. Like many of the female celebrities attending the launch, she was rocking some beautiful leather pants, a smoking hot blazer and some beautiful shoes she said she bought at Camden Town. Besides all of the above questions, I couldn't wait to ask her about her relationship with Lady Gaga. Respecting her privacy, I only asked her what she thought about Lady Gaga as a style icon and even before she began replying, you could tell she had admiration in her eyes as I mentioned Gaga. " I love her. She dares to be different and she inspires me with my designs", she said. Kitty has gone from Singer to designer lately and her new clothing range will be launched within the next week. " I loved being able to contribute to everything from the bags to the black leggings I am wearing now". She pointed to a small KB sign on the bottom of her leg and told me that most of her designs will have this logo attached. I then proceeded to ask her who's designs she loves and who's got it right in the style department. "Nikita Karizma", she said. She then watched me attempting to scrawl down the designers name and reiterated how much she loves her. "She's different and she's definitely got style".

Catch up with Nicola Mclean

Favourite shoe: Peanut Butter Booties or Addict booties

Reason why she loves Kandees:  They are cool and different, with lots of different colours.

Nicola Mclean has to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. She walked into the room with her beautiful blonde hair capturing the light and whilst making eye contact with most people in the room, she had a huge smile. When I walked up to her, we exchanged handshakes and within a second of being by her side, I was walked over to the array of Kandee shoes to peruse through. Her eyes lit up and when asking her what her favourite shoe was, you could tell it was a difficult choice. She said: " I would happily wear a black dress for the rest of my life if I could have lots of different statement shoes". You could tell she was definitely a shoe person and was more than happy to show off her twinkling Kandees she was wearing during the day. 

Catch up with Amy Childs

Favourite Shoe: Peanut Butter Booties

Why do you love Kandees?I love the Bejazzled look, they're different and they stand out.

What's happening in the life of Amy

Her bouncy red hair and Essex accent can be heard a mile away, but the Only Way is Essex star seems quieter than I imagined her to be and really down to earth. We seemed to bond quite easily over the masses of cocktails handed out at the launch and the sugar lollies that tasted divine. When discussing the Kandees, she told me that she was bringing out her new clothing range in 4 weeks. I asked her what clothing she is personally drawn to and it was no surprise that she said: " I love everything that's in your face and over the top". She then proceeded to reiterate how much she loves the bejazzled look.

Her leather pants perfectly complimented her booties and those sparkles were definitely in your face, but in a good way.  I couldn't take my eyes of her Lemonade booties that twinkled and shined as her moved her feet.  Smiling and sipping cocktails, Amy really made me feel at ease whilst talking to her and I really feel like I have seen a little bit of that friendly Essex charm that's got her where she is today.

The new collection goes on sale March 1st and the website is getting vamped up for the big day. I can't wait to hopefully buy a pair.

What do you think of Kandee Shoes?

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