Local stiletto maker plans market take over
Luxury footwear founder and CEO of J’Adore D’Amour, Mathapelo Pitse, has always had a keen eye for shoes and sheis now doubling up her love for shoes to other women. Mathapelo lets us into her engrossing space and luxury brand.
Ignited Woman (IW): Please tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from?
Mathapelo Pitse (MP): I was born in the East Rand, Boksburg, raised in Johannesburg and currently reside in Midrand.
IW: Can you tell us about the business venture you are involved in?
MP: I am the Founder and CEO of a proudly South African luxury shoe brand J’ADORE D’AMOUR. We are a luxury women’s footwear brand for audacious, tenacious, feminine and unapologetically sophisticated women who consistently step in style while conquering the world in timeless and gorgeous stilettos.
IW: We would love to hear about your journey into the footwear industry. What really inspired you to create your shoe brand?
MP: Growing up, I used to collect shoes, and I remember at one point, I owned over 300 pairs of shoes and my mother convinced me to give them away. That’s when I decided to shift my passion for fashion into business and I haven’t looked back since.
IW: Do you design with a specific type of woman in mind?
MP: Because of my love for shoes, I’m looking
to launch different shoe collections for each season that will cater for all women. We recently launched our Iconic Collection and were looking to expand to kitten heels, boots, and sneakers.
IW: What would you say is your biggest career accomplishment so far?
MP: It’s definitely taking that giant leap of launching my shoe brand! That’s the biggest accomplishment thus far. I still have to pinch myself because it wasn’t an easy journey and I have no regrets whatsoever.
IW: What challenges have you faced as a brand? How did you overcome those challenges?
MP: Because of our consistency and growing numbers on social media, I’d say my biggest challenge is converting my followers to buyers. That has been quiet a tricky task.
IW: How do you still manage to show up for yourself and your brand during these tough times of Covid-19?
MP: Thank heavens for technology and social media. As an entrepreneur, one has to always think quick and sadly Covid-19 caught us at an unexpected time, I still have to make an executive decision to come up with different angles by making sure that we’re consistent throughout all our platforms.
IW: Any advice on being a more sustainable designer?
MP: Our brand supports all things green and environmentally friendly. For our upcoming collections, our approach is looking into using recyclable products into our designs to create awareness about our role as an environmentally sustainable shoe brand.
IW: What's next for the brand? What expansion plans are you looking for the next 2 to 5 years?
MP: We have a number of plans in the pipeline and unfortunately I can’t go into detail at the moment. However, it’s all about growth and creating timeless pieces for our clients.
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