Spring 2013
Shoes designed for you to make Comfortably Hotter
PUT YOUR BEST FRIEND FORWARD Walk Jenni's way Welcome to our exclusive Comfort Club Magazine
Welcome
Enjoy
Hello Hotter fans, we’re delighted to welcome you to the first Comfort Club of 2013.
THE SEASON
This season our design team have created a wonderful collection of light, soft, bouncy, flexible footwear just for you. Our shoes are going to make you feel amazing and this season, more than ever before, I think you’ll agree that our designers have made our shoes look amazing too.
What’s the best way to complete a great outfit... a great pair of shoes! Our beautiful Spring collection is packed with perfect picks to polish off your look as you enjoy warm Summer outings, nights out with style and busy days full of activity.
You’ll find some Hotter highlights in our magazine, and even more in our catalogue, and we’d really love to hear what you think – drop us a line at the usual address or why not email or find us on Facebook. Believe it, or not, it’s not just about shoes! We’ve also discovered some new Hotter friends in this edition, Jenni who’s boots really were made for walking and photographer Tracy, just take a look at her amazing photos. And with friends and family featuring on our readers' letters page, it’s a lovely warm, friendly start to the new year from us to you! Look forward to hearing from you, warm regards
Melanie
But the utter, perfect joy for you and your toes is that every pair brims with its own special Hotter features that will bring an instant smile to your face the moment you slip them on. Think cushioning. Think lightness. Think softness. Think Hotter… and enjoy the pleasures of the season.
Gaby
What a year!
Melanie Killilea, Editor Hotter Comfort Club
Find more Comfort Club at www.hotter.com
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Whilst we’re looking forward to lots of exciting new shoes, shops and style for 2013 we couldn’t let 2012 pass without reflecting on some of our amazing highlights.
Leanne
Emilia
Shake
Easy
In February we had a 5am start to welcome Steph McGovern and the BBC Breakfast team; June saw us launching a Jubilee shoe; in October we were proud to host a visit by Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex; in November we visited the Houses of Parliament to celebrate Lancashire Day and we finished the year with a TV news team filming our impromptu visit to deliver Christmas gifts from our
staff to a lady who had been burgled. We’ve expanded too... our 1000th person will be employed any day now; we opened 21 stores last year – starting in Colchester and finishing in Camarthen and giving us a total of 46 - and our hard working factory teams made, sold and shipped 1.5 m pairs of Hotter shoes. Phew!
FIND THE FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM
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Why not nominate your friend to receive a Happy Hotter Shoes Day?
W
hen we asked you to nominate a friend to receive a ‘Happy Hotter Shoes Day’ Sandra Hancock suggested horse racing photographer Tracy Roberts.
TRACY'S PHOTOFI they must look good too. So I thought, of course, of Hotter.” Tracy sounded perfect, so we spoke with her to discover her shoe size and, completely intrigued, a little more about her story... A keen photographer since the age of 12, when her father gave her a camera for her birthday, Tracy combined her hobby with her love of horses at the age of 16 when she visited Newton Abbot Racecourse.
l rand Nationa Tracy with Gtune Collonges. ep N r winne
She told us: “Tracy needs to be comfortable all day as she runs from the last fence to the finish in the paddock. Ideally her shoes need to be waterproof with good grippy soles and, as a woman with a strong sense of personal style,
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“I was a keen amateur photographer throughout my career as a nurse, but it wasn’t until six years ago that I turned professional,” said Tracy, who lives in Dawlish. The life changing decision to follow her dream was made following the bereavement of her husband. He had always encouraged Tracy to set up her own business and, with the support of family and friends, she decided to take 12 months off to try to change her passionate hobby into a full time career.
Jenni Swain’s boots really are made for walking – which is good news because she really has put them through their paces.
NISH “I started small, learned where to stand and built a portfolio of shots that I sent to jockeys, trainers and stables,” explained Tracy. “I took photos of anything horse related from point-to-points and stable visits to jump and flat racing.” One of 20 professional commercial freelancers in the UK – of which just three are women – Tracy now travels the country from Aintree to Newbury up to four times a week, every week of the year, taking up to 1,000 photos at each event. Tracy’s crowning achievement is her recent success in winning the Horse Writers and Photographers Association ‘Picture of the Year’ Award. The winning photo, of Grand National winner Neptune Collonges, was taken the day after his win, and is a candid shot of trainer Paul Nicholls’ daughter Megan who came to his stables to give the winner a hug.
Made
a w l king! r o f
W
ith a love of long distance walking – albeit usually for 100 mile treks in the UK Jenni jumped at the chance of a 550 mile trek across Spain with a friend late last year.
Eventually though we threw away the pre-conceptions of life and decided to ‘go with the flow’ and it became one of the most interesting experiences in my life.”
For 47 days, the intrepid pair tackled the El Camino from St Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees across Spain to the Western Atlantic coast at Finisterre.
The pair set off in early September and walked 12-13 miles per day.
“It was impossible to plan our walk as we stayed at hostels called ‘albergues’ along the way and they don’t take advance bookings,” explained Jenni, who lives in Cheltenham. “Initially it was a strange feeling, picking up food, drink and somewhere to stay along the way.
Jenni, who was introduced to Hotter by her sister 12 years ago, walked in a pair of Hotter’s GORE-TEX® boots for all except six days of her trip. “The Hotter boots have been some of the most comfortable I have ever worn, they felt like a pair of comfortable slippers each morning I put them on,” she added.
FIND THE FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM
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THE SECRETS IN THE
Comfort Concept The feeling of being comfortable is truly unique to each individual. So this season we set ourselves a creative challenge, find a unique way to encompass the stunning sensations created when you step into a pair of Hotter shoes and because, as someone once said, a picture paints a thousand words we thought what better to show you how our shoes feel than with this series of beautiful images. We’ll let Design Director Ian Spedding explain some more and, as always, we’d love to hear what you think.
Lightweight & LOVE LY
Ian: Imagine a heaving host of teeny, tiny bubbles crowded under your feet … then imagine the light, supportive bounce you enjoy every time you take a step!
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Competi tion
How wou ld you tra nslate th utter blis e so visually a f Hotter into a ppealing image … send in y our id select a fa eas and we’ll vourite to win some stu nn sensation ingly al shoes.
Cushioning
Breathable
UNDERF O OT
L E AT HE RS
Ian: Hidden in our stylish heels are little foot friendly pillows, each one is carefully designed to softly cushion your soles.
Ian: Picture light, airy freshness breezing around your toes … it’s a simple, joyful pleasure.
DUR A BLE & L IG HT WE IG HT
Ian: Performance driven design and rugged styling inject our men’s range with long lasting appeal – and because we’re Hotter we always make sure that there’s softer side secreted in every pair.
Flexible S OL E S
Ian: By making sure that the soles of our shoes are incredibly flexible, we create a spring in your step that puts a smile on your face… smile after smile after smile. FIND THE FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM
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S E O H S E S E TH D E N G I S E AR E D G N I K A M F OR
day and on designs shoes by bs Ro th pe ls El e tiv Crea
by night! then… designs shoes
drawing everything.” Ellspeth went to her local Art and Design College in Hartlepool, before studying fashion and textiles at Leicester Polytechnic. “On the course I soon discovered an affinity and talent for footwear design”, she said.
Our smart ladies footwear designer has a passion for footwear and keen eye for craft work, and some years ago combined the two; culminating in a paper shoe project that she’s agreed to share. “I was artistic, even as a child,” Ellspeth told us, “Christmas presents were crayons, sketch pads and pencils and I loved
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Ellspeth’s skill helped her win several shoe designing competitions and even a bursary to study with a leading brand. Since then Ellspeth has travelled the world for footwear inspiration and four years ago she spotted some paper shoes in a shop window in San Francisco. “I wondered what they were; one looked like a parrot and another like a garden, I had to find out more,” she explained.
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“Shortly afterwards it was my boss’s birthday and I decided to make him a paper shoe and my pattern cutting training helped me translate the 2D design to 3D. My local craft shop was intrigued with the project and when I showed them the results they asked me to set up some paper shoe making classes.” For four years she ran courses in Hinckley teaching her skills and she’s planning to resume her craft teaching classes; making a start by sharing her paper shoe challenge.
Make a pair and show us your skill Ellspeth’s paper shoe project can be downloaded from the Comfort Club area at www.hotter.com. It’s a simple one page pattern with instructions to make the shoe.
FOLD
FOLD
FOLD
STRAP ‘A’
Card making quality
FOLD
HEEL
FOLD
Use colourful card or material to make yours, and send us a photo and we’ll get Ellspeth to select her favourite to win a real pair! If you can’t download the pattern get someone to email weloveshoes@hotter.com and we’ll email a copy back to you.
BASE
STRAP ‘B’
Cardboard (Shoe box quality)
SHOE
FOLD
Card making quality
STRAP ‘C’
EllspEth’s “Mini shoE CoMpEtitio n”
ingredients Cardboard Card Double Sided Tape Glue Trims
Method 1. Cut out cardboard for base 2. Cut out of card all other 3. Fold or roll all pieces patterns as indicated 4. Stick patterned paper 5. Attach folded ends to ‘shoe sole’ of straps to under side of the shoe. ‘A’ Front - ‘B’ Middle - ‘C’ Back 6. Stick front of shoe to base 7. Glue tope and bottom of hell 8. Attach heel to underside of shoe at the back, keeping it vertical to the base 9. Decorate to your own design
BASiC SHOE SHOE SOCk
HEEL
STRAPS ‘C’ ‘B’ ‘A’
Roll into heel shape Stick to secure end
ExAmPLE Of finiSHEd SHOE
DON’T KEEP IT A SECRET...
BASE
Amy Boyle, daughter of Hotter Trainer Jo, was the first to take on Ellspeth’s paper shoe making challenge. The creative 11-year-old from Penketh, Warrington, loved getting her hands on the project and has set a very high standard adding a spotty blue insole and beautiful handcrafted flowers in shades of powder blue and baby pink to create a beautiful Spring style. And Ellspeth’s verdict: “Just perfect. The colours are quite beautiful; Amy certainly has a creative flair!” Amy spent an hour, cutting, pasting and creating Ellspeth’s paper shoe... and now it’s over to you!
tell a friend
You know all about the secret comfort and effortless style of Hotter Shoes. Luckily this is one secret that you don’t need to keep to yourself. Recommend Hotter comfort to your friends and we’ll give them 10% off their first purchase and free delivery. It couldn't be easier, simply visit www.hotter.com, enter yours and your friend's name and contact details and you will be entered into a free prize draw to win a Hotter Shopping Spree. Or you can call us on 0800 468 837 quoting code RHARCC. We’ll then send them their own copy of our new catalogue. There’s nothing better than sharing good news……why not tell your friends today?
“I shall definitely be recommending Hotter Shoes to my friends,” Pam Gibbs
FIND THE FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM
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GET SET FOR
SPRING Men’s designer Andy Taylor believes in quality, style and comfort.
Competitio n
Each pair he crafts is meticulously designed to be millimetre perfect and, having designed footwear for over 30 years, his knowledge of core patterns, last shapes and stylish on trend silhouettes is second to none.
Add your re view of any Hotter men’s prod uct to our w ebsite before Mar ch 31st and we’ll select one at random to win a pair for free .
“Men can find a pair of Hotter shoes for virtually every activity,” said Andy. “But it’s the universal features of lightness, durability and flexibility across the collection that gives men the peace of mind to know they can trust Hotter.”
Wave
ROAD
MATRIX
Andy says: Matrix was created with an active lifestyle in mind. I wear these at the weekend when I’m browsing the antique markets looking for undiscovered gems.
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Matt from Dorset gave Road a five star review at www.hotter.com commenting: This is the first pair of Hotter Shoes I have owned but they won’t be the last. Excellent quality and very comfortable. Quickly delivered after an online purchase very impressed all round … and it’s British.
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Our featured partner the Royal Horticultural Society shares its top tips to help you create a buzz in your garden by encouraging greater biodiversity.
FEATURED PARTNER
Give your garden some buzz
1Leave a pile of dead wood in a shady spot
Decaying wood provides an ever rarer habitat to a range of specialist wildlife that is becoming increasingly uncommon in the countryside such as stag and bark beetles and their grubs, and many species of fungi. Photography by Helen Jermyn
2 Compost, Compost, Compost
Composting your garden waste makes for healthy soil which is good for everything living and growing in it; it is free and easy to produce and unlike organic matter imported from elsewhere comes without packaging and ‘fuel miles’. Compost heaps also shelter many small creatures which enjoy the heat released by decomposition.
3 Allow a patch of grass to grow longer
Piles of leaves and twiggy debris in hidden corners can provide both food and habitat for many species; uncut perennials left over Winter offer shelter for hibernating insects and piles of stones provide a good habitat for hibernating reptiles and amphibians.
Discover more tips, and lots more gardening help and advice, at www.rhs.org.uk.
Join the RHS and start your glorious year of gardens As an RHS member, you can enjoy a year of free days out with a family guest at our four RHS Gardens (Wisley, Rosemoor, Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr); free entry to more than 145 RHS Partner Gardens across the UK, at selected periods*; special members’ access and discounted tickets to our inspirational shows, The Garden monthly magazine and free personalised gardening advice.
Join today and enjoy 12 months’ membership for the price of 9 when you join by annual Direct Debit – pay just £39 for individual membership (normal price £52) or £56.25 for joint membership (normal price £75). Simply visit rhs.org.uk/join/3492 or call 0845 130 4646 quoting 3492 (weekdays
9am-5pm excluding bank holidays).
Terms and Conditions: Individual membership is usually £52; joint £75. Take up the 12 months’ membership for the price of 9 offer when you join the RHS by annual Direct Debit by 31st January 2014. The offer is open to new members only. New members should allow 10 days to receive their membership card and handbook.*Free days out at more than 145 RHS Partner Gardens applies at selected periods and is for the main member. Visit rhs.org.uk/PartnerGardens or the 2013 Members’ Handbook to check access. RHS Registered Charity No: 222879/SC038262
FIND THE FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM
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Letters READERS'
Hotter shoes often play a part in fond memories of friends and family, here’s a selection of our favourite happy Hotter moments.
Anna Ahoy
When Mary Morgan from Neath went on a cruise around the Med she took along four pairs of Hotter shoes … and her very adorable granddaughter Anna. Here they are pictured in Portugal.
Morgan Mary and Anna
Boot up!
Hotter’s GORE-TEX® boots went every step of the way with friends Ian and Maggie Todd from Colyton in Devon and John and Gaynor McCarthy from Brockweir, Chepstow when the intrepid foursome hiked across a lava flow on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific.
Find more customer stories at hotter.com
An Easy answer When Vivienne Oxley from Plymouth took a vacation to Florida with her granddaughter she needed cool, comfortable sandals to cope with the heat and lots of walking - she found an Easy solution!
Competition John, Ian, Maggie and Gaynor
Where have you been in your Hotter shoes? A spring break, a day out with friends or a family celebration? Send in your photos and we’ll select our favourite to win some lovely new shoes. can join don't forget you ersations nv co er in the hott ge. pa k oo eb fac r on ou
Customer Service: 0800 525 893 Personal Shoppers: 0800 083 3083 E: weloveshoes@hotter.com W: www.hotter.com Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes @hottershoes Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes
Send in your stories, photos and competition entries to Melanie Killilea, Editor, Comfort Club, Hotter Shoes, 2 Peel Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 9PT or email weloveshoes@hotter.com. Any stories or photos sent to us may be used in future editions of Comfort Club or on our Facebook page. Unless otherwise stated, competitions in this edition will close on March 5th 2013 – winners’ details will be printed in our online Comfort Club at www.hotter.com or contact the Editor for a full list.