In conversation with… INTERVIEW
XTI AND CARMELA
after CARA wholesale went into administration just after lockdown.
This year Caroline is celebrating 20 years in the footwear sector after joining Clarks Wholesale in March 2004 as the Adults’ Account Manager. She was asked to become a Women’s Specialist representing independent retailers.
XTI is an international beacon of footwear trends; its sister brand, Carmela, is no different. Both offer high quality leather and vegan leather affordable footwear. Here, UK Agent, Caroline Sheppard, tells Footwear Today about the brands’ place in the market, and her own personal journey through the industry.
E
very day, influencers, celebrities and millions of other men and women step out into the street with a pair of XTI on their feet. By its own admission, the brand is an international beacon of footwear trends… “Pure fashion for impeccable style from the feet up.” XTI’s team of designers is constantly reinterpreting trends from the biggest catwalks, taking on the challenges posed by new designs and developing an end product with its own personality that matches the wearer. Carmela is the sister brand of XTI, based in Yecla in the Murcia region of Spain. Its shoes are hand made with high-quality leather and
designed with anatomical lasts, padded insoles, flexible rubber or cork soles, and exquisite finishes so that every step the customer takes is as comfortable as possible.
XTI launched in 2002 with its vegan leather range, and in 2013 introduced Carmela to sit alongside. The brands are in the top three footwear exporters in Spain.
Caroline Sheppard is the UK Southern Agent for XTI/Carmela, supporting Mike Wylde who covers the North. Since Mike introduced the brands to the UK eight years ago they have continued to go from strength to strength. Caroline took the brands on three years ago
After having her first child she relocated from
London to Solihull and worked as a Children’s Account Manager until the birth of her second child. Whilst on maternity leave from Clarks wholesale, she decided to visit MICAM where she saw 15 halls of footwear factories, and from here she decided to start her own footwear agency, with the mission to bring quality women’s footwear brands into the UK backed up by excellent customer service.
Caroline’s agency is now 13 years old and despite the challenges that the last few years have delivered she has created and maintained strong relationships with her customers.
Recently commenting on International Women’s Day, she said: “It’s staggering to think that only 8.2 per cent of business owners in the UK are women. I work with some amazing female business owners and in today’s fast-paced world we are all juggling work, family and home. To keep these businesses alive we all need to support women in business; there’s a crazy amount of entrepreneurial spirit amongst our community so let’s continue to shop with female founders!” After representing footwear-only brands for the last 13 years, Caroline is now representing an ath-leisure women’s and men’s brand, called Original Creator.
22 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • APRIL 2024
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