Winter 2010
club Get set for the party season
We love our new stores You remember
1959
Sumptuously soft sheepskin Enter our
exclusive reader competitions inside
Welcome
We’ve a feast of festive fun for you in our newest edition of Comfort Club magazine. The big build up to Christmas is upon us and there always seems to be more things to do than time to do them in!
Have a break from your preparations and spend some ‘you time’ enjoying our magazine, where we meet some interesting Hotter customers whose love of our comfortable shoes helps them enjoy their hobbies. We’ve also unearthed the world’s leading expert on shoe laces! Intrigued? We were, find out more from Ian Fieggen on page 5. It’s important to keep your feet in cosy comfort this winter season so find out how to look ultra stylish and feel toasty warm in our newest sheepskin boots and we’ve suggested some inspirational Christmas present ideas for you too. Have a lovely time meeting friends old and new this Christmas – and remember don’t ever pass a Hotter store …to our newslet ter without popping in to say hello!
Sig n u p…
for the latest new s and offers at www.hotter.com
Kind regards Melanie Killilea Editor, Comfort Club
Vintage style, hotter comfort
Keswick
When Hotter Facebook fan Felicity Burke posted a photo of her in a land army uniform wearing our Hotter boots, of course we had to find out more!
Behind the scenes - look at us shooting our Christmas photography complete with fake snow...
Hot H new buys for men If you’ve a man in your life – a brother, a son, a husband or just a friend – you’ll know that eternal festive dilemma .... what to buy them for Christmas. So what’s practical (but more exciting than a tool set), long lasting (even longer than that old jumper he refuses to throw away) and even more comfortable than his favourite armchair, ideally placed for viewing TV! Here’s five new Hotter men’s shoes and slippers that you might not have noticed, Christmas gift inspiration – simple, thoughtful, dependable and .... comfortable.
It turns out that Felicity is an active member of living history group ‘The
20th Century Revisited’, and her attire was part of a fund raising weekend
Radar - £69
Detroit - £69
Dakota - £69
Vulcan - £79
for Help for Heroes in Madeley, Shropshire. “There are hundreds of reactors recreating a range of eras from the 20th century,” explained Felicity, who has six pairs of Hotter shoes. “I also wear my Hotter GORE-TEX® boots at Blists Hill Victorian Town near Ironbridge. I wear Elegance with a 40’s outfit and Cha Cha with another Victorian outfit.” Find out more at www.20crevisited.co.uk and why not post your photos on our Facebook page. 2 All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com
Recline - £49
Zer ma tt -
Sumptuously soft
Comfort
Mo ss
Davos berry - Logan
In the eternal quest for footwear perfection our industrious design team have struck upon another wonderful footwear marriage; uniting soft, cosy, stylish sheepskin with supportive, huggable Hotter comfort. Order Davos, Klosters or Zermatt and your delivery man will be delighted because these beautiful boots are as light as air, literally – there are millions of natural air pockets in sheepskin which make it one of nature’s best insulators and our trademark Hotter soles are filled with millions more air bubbles to give you shock absorbing support as you walk. But what’s good for the delivery man is good for you too, because this on-trend selection of adorable boots is made from double-faced sheepskin. This ultra premium material is tanned with a coloured suede leather finish on one side and a dense wool pile, shorn to a uniform length, on the other and it just happens to be one of the softest materials for human skin to touch. What’s more the natural properties of wool will wick moisture away from your feet guaranteeing dry ,cosy comfort whilst over time its extremely dense, soft and springy surface will mould to the shape of your feet to give extra support.
svo Da
st Ru
Davos can be worn high or turned down to show its softer side – try it in neutral Black and Rust or try vibrant Loganberry if you want to stand out in the crowd. Calf length Klosters and fringed detail Zermatt both come in To keep your bo ots Black, Moss and Rust. looking th
Free
eir best prot them with our FR ect Sheepskin and EE Suede protector.
The Perfect Gift...
Don’t let the wool be pulled over your eyes! Our range of sheepskin boots are made from premium quality, double sided sheepskin – the best there is. What’s more, you can rest assured that they uniquely include a raft of clever Hotter design details for comfort, support and stability including: • Ankle support • Soft heel cushioning • Ultra lightweight and durable sole • Room for toes to flex • Removable insoles
We also have a sumptuously soft sheepskin slipper - Shetland, available in 4 colours
All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com 3
Customer story
Lemurs inspire artist Caro Hococo the lemur has been attracting more attention, but this time from Hotter fan and artist Caro Brownhill. Caro, from Sussex, contacted Comfort Club to tell us about her passion for lemurs after reading about our fund raising knitting pattern. Developing a passion for drawing wildlife after attending an art course seven years ago at London Zoo, Caro soon fell in love with the ring tailed lemur which obligingly followed her round whilst she talked to it and began to draw.
her Caro wears one of ved lo h uc m three pairs of e heads sh n he w Tone off on a painting expedition.
“This was the start of my fascination with lemurs and with Madagascar too, because it is home to such a special collection of creatures that occur nowhere else on the planet,” said Caro who owns eleven pairs of Hotter shoes. “After my initial encounter with this little lemur, I soon began to draw more animals, birds, dogs and horses, and I was recently commissioned to draw a baby panda! “added Caro who supports conservation and animal charities whenever possible by donating postcards and prints to help raise funds. Her work has helped Newquay Zoo and Animal Care Samos, and she also sells her paintings and donates a percentage to conservation organisations such as Bristol Zoo and The Lemur Conservation Association.
4 All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com
To see more of Caro’s dra paintings, why not visi wings and t her at www.carobwildlifeart.n website et.
When trailing round zoos, taking her dog for a walk and going on countryside rambles, Caro wears her Hotter shoes everywhere, saying: “It is very rare for me not to be wearing a pair, I seem to find I’m always wearing one of my three pairs of Tone.” Her enchanting paintings are often included in exhibitions, most recently at Marwell Wildlife Park and this year for the second time, Caro had a picture accepted by the Society of Equestrian Artists for an exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.
Don’t forget you can download your own Hococo pattern for free from the Comfort Club pages at www.hotter.com or email us at weloveshoes@hotter.com
The science of
laces Next time you bend to fasten your shoes have a good look at the laces... when he was 20 Ian Fieggen did just that and, 27 years later, he’s earned an international reputation as ‘Professor Shoelace’. Ian’s eureka moment came when he was trying to find a symmetrical way of tying his laces. He advertently developed a knot that proved to be much faster to tie than usual and the ‘Ian knot’ was born. His twin passions shoelaces and computers - led to the creation of Ian’s Shoelace website, which has received 15 million visitors. His shoelace obsession has spawned a book and more recently an iPhone app – yes that’s right, download Ian’s app for step by step guides to everything from lacing to knot tying. The most common way of lacing shoes is the ‘criss-cross’, which we use on all Hotter shoes, although according to Product Design Director Paul Sayers,
Did you know? If your shoe laces are not symmetrical it’s likely to be caused by an unbalanced Granny Knot. On an average shoe with six pairs of eyelets there are almost two trillion ways to lace your shoe! many men prefer the straight lacing which Ian calls ‘shoe shop’ lacing. Best for photography, however, says Paul is to have no laces showing underneath the straight lace, known by Professor Shoelace as the ‘straight bar’.
Five favourite lace-ups The Hotter range includes lace-up smarts, casuals and sporty styles for women and for men, here’s our five favourites: 1 Leanne
But laces are just the first part of the story because Ian, from Australia, has the answer to every knotty question you might have. With comfy knots, long lasting knots and even decorative knots, including the noose inspired ‘halloween special’, you could get tied up investigating the myriad of opportunities for your footwear.
“I tie my laces with an ‘Ian knot’ the world’s fastest shoelace knot; make a loop with both ends and simultaneously pull them through each other to form an almost instant knot”, Ian Fieggen, Professor Shoelace. * find an illustrated step by step guide on Ian’s website
2 Vana
Vana - £59
3 Shuffle 4 Mambo 5 Edge
Mambo - £69
Edge - £69
Competition Name that lace-up shoe! Win a pair of Hotter lace-ups by identifying the shoe pictured at the top of this page. Entry details on back page.
on your high street We’re delighted to be bringing Hotter Shoes to you - we now have 11 very special comfort emporiums nationwide! Step through the doors of any of our stores and you’ll be amazed. Of course you’ll find all your favourite Hotter styles, bright colours, lovely soft leathers (the comfort goes without saying!) but you’ll also notice the fabulous, light, airy surroundings and you’ll be greeted by Hotter teams dedicated to finding shoes for you to fall in love with. We hand pick new managers and staff because they love serving customers, they’re trained by our HQ experts so they know Hotter footwear inside and out and they’ll spend time with you to make sure our shoes fit to perfection.
Meet our Hotter Comfort Crew Here are a few of the Hotter faces you might meet on your travels and don’t forget to pop into our stores anytime to say hello!
Visit Norwich to meet manager Victoria Sparkes, who before taking up her new role spent six months travelling around Australia, New Zealand and Asia where her partner proposed to her in Singapore’s famous Raffles Hotel.
If you step into our York store, manager Stuart Cooke told us you could be served by Lin, whose fishing talents gained her a national angling title which paid the deposit on her first home. Look out for belly dancing Suzanne in York too!
Competition Test your knowledge of our Hotter store locations with this quick quiz. We’ll pick one entry with all the correct answers per store to win a £20 Hotter voucher, so don’t forget to nominate your local store on your postcard (if there’s no store near you just write HQ and we’ll pick a mail order winner too!) • Which Victorian seaside town was the site of our first Hotter store? • Which is the walled city in the North West location of another Hotter store? • Which is the only London borough with a Hotter store? Send your answers to the address on the back page.
£5 Voucher...
Winter 2010
club Get set for the party season
Bring your comfort club and a friend into your local Hotter store exclusive and we’ll give you both a £5 voucher. Enter our
We love our new stores You remember
1959
Sumptuously soft sheepskin reader competitions inside
Voucher is for full priced products only. One per customer. Expires Dec 24th 2010.
Find our s tores... You’ll find
In Bournemouth, Siobhan is training tobe a hypnotherapist, whilst Alex is an apprentice with the National Trust who simply can’t give up his Hotter Saturday job as he loves it so much. Store manager Debbie Marsh added: “we once had a hen party call into the store to buy shoes as they were all wearing uncomfortable high heels ... they were dressed as nurses!”
Hotter sto Bournem res in Bath outh, Bro , mley, Can Chester, C terbury, h ic h e ster, Eastb Kendal, N ourne, orwich, S outhport and York. We’re plan n opened b ing to have 25 Hott y the end er stores of 2011 so out for all keep an e the latest ye news our newsl etter at ww by signing up to w.hotter.co following us on Face m or book. Find addresses store and open ing ti ‘Store Loca tor’ page o mes on our n our web site.
7
Claret for
Christmas By Graham Gendall Norton
Inspired by the beautiful tones of our fabulously party style La Cruz, we asked our wine expert Graham Gendall Norton to investigate Claret for Christmas...... The very mention of claret conjures up either men in wigs in some 18th century setting, or the outrageous prices paid for a Château this or a Château that from a year of the finest vintage. Claret is red from Bordeaux and the majority of the wines made there are that colour. Oddly, when the growers first started exporting to England in the middle ages it was more the colour of a rosé so it was called ‘clairet’, which means pale in French. From Marks and Spencer, we have four bottles to discuss, all excellent for the festive season and available to win in our seasonal competition. Let’s begin with the reds.
La Cruz Claret Patent £69
Bordeaux has a complex method of classifying wines, which in the past never gave the names
Spread some y! jo comfort and This year we’ve got Christmas covered with shoes for parties, slippers for presents and lots of lovely leather gifts for your loved ones. Throughout the run up to the festive season there’ll be 101 things to do, to remember and to buy, so to make your Christmas plans as comfortably simple as possible here’s a few Hotter shopping suggestions. Just call to order and we’ll deliver direct to your door - like the red suited man himself! 8 All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com
U ncle K en
p Enjoy your skiin g tri n! Ja in
Cousin Melodyake To keep all th at m up tidy xx
Albany - £40
Elizabeth - £35
Black leather wash bag
Red leather cosmetic case and mirror
of the grapes in the bottle, but exactly where it came from. However, there’s an easier way out if you’re not a wine buff, a general category, called Appellation Bordeaux Contrôlée. M&S’s ‘Classic Claret’, vintage 2008 (£6.99) is a good example. There’s a savoury nose, with strong raspberry notes. In the glass, the colour is an appetising deep ruby. You might find the first sip a bit sharp, though it’s unoaked. Here’s my tip, double decant - pour into a jug and then back into the bottle. Give it five minutes in your glass (half full, never to the brim) to open up. Those sharp tannins are much muted, just right to balance the black cherry fruit and a touch of liquorice. Now it’s smooth, including the finish. Another general category is Bordeaux Supérieur. Most supermarkets and wine merchants work with reliable firms – négociants, which often both buy wine and make their own. This “Classic Claret” was provided by renowned Sichel. The main grapes used in red Bordeaux are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Franc. If you’re a lover of Merlot, look for Saint-Emilion on the label, like our second Claret, Château Roserie Dumont 2009 (£7.99). The family vineyard which it comes from has gone for a modern style, full of fruit, unchallenged by any oak -spending no time in the barrel - as can be expected, good moderate balancing grape-skin tannins. These two reds go well with festive fare, roasts, turkey, beef, and cheeses. We have two further Bordeaux, whites, the first, their own Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (£6.99) again via Sichel, from the most vaunted part of Bordeaux for this grape, Entre-Deux-Mers. Unoaked, with lemons on the nose, makes a fine aperitif, as does Bergerac 2009 (£5.99) a blend of the former grape with
ct match Ja ne - Alovpeelrfe y Hotter for those shoe s you bought!
Semillon, giving a slightly sweeter hint to a sophisticated blend, Muscadelle. Though not within the Bordeaux classification, it adjoins it and the wine maker comes from there, so, a good country cousin!
Competition For your chance to win the four bottles mentioned here, courtesy of M&S send your answer to the following question to the address on the back page. Q. If you love Merlot, which Bordeaux area appellation should you look for?
M um
sy, Keep wa rm an d co with love xxx
For me!ing Juspecst iaa llittotle
so meth mfy at th e keep me co rty! Ch ristmas pa
Beatrice - £25
Wrap - £45
Broadway - £69
Woven leather belt available in 3 colours
Soft suede slipper available in 3 colours
Available in a choice of 5 colours
9
Heather and Geoff Phillips were married on a Bank Holiday as his mother ran the village shop and Post Office which was closed all weekend. For their honeymoon they flew to Guernsey – their first flight.
..
Wed d ed bli ss.
d kers Joan an Practical jo ed rn tu re le rd 959 John Bracegi 1 er b eptem from their S cover a large dis wedding to on their rk o st plastic full ashing line w chimney, a e th d thes an of baby clo d their salt an f o ts n te n co ed p swap sugar bowls ! d n u o ar
Vivien and David Garrard both worked in their family hardware store in Ipswich. As Wednesday was half day closing, they worked until 12 noon and were married in the afternoon.
Our
y r of Abernath Simone Farre dad, r he of o ot sent us a ph four days old, one year and
9 edding of her at the 195 w hn Farrer and Great Uncle Jo reen. Do Great Auntie
p o s t
1959 memory box
On Easter Monday Michael and Valerie Siggins married in Bromborough on the Wirral after meeting at a Church Youth Socia l.
10 All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com
Last year we celebrated a fabulous milestone for Hotter - our 50th birthday so we asked
Jane Cole, from Grob y, finished sc hool on he r 16th birthday in July 1959, and two days la ter in one of th started work e local sho e factories. W he smells new never she shoes the memories of those d ays flood back grandchild . Here she ren is with her daugh on the Gre ter, son an at Wall of d China (wearing h er Hotters !)
F i rst Jo b..
.
Travell ing 250 m her ho me, Pa iles from tricia M began ee Te College acher Trainin g – a care lasted over 40 er which years. c a r d
you to send in your special memories of 1959, the year we were established. We loved your stories so much we decided to create a Memory Box – we’ve included as many as possible here, and we’ve crammed in even more in our online Comfort Club; sign up to our newsletter at www.hotter.com so you don’t miss out. Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply, we’re just sorry we couldn’t include them all.
N e w h o m e...
After three years living with parents Jo an Durling and her husba nd bought ‘our house’. “It was a stru ggle managing money fro m pa day to pay day, to save y money I m ade most o f my own cl othes and my husband d id the d.i.y.
a n d down u n de r...
year old Julie Meanwhile 18 A 9 rs 95 M one of 32 girls In February 1 Matthews was Choir taking big r he n rls ga Gi be n t McDermot in the Luto in from month tour of tra e a re th on a y in ne jour and then part y ur lb ew Zealand. Ti N to d m Nottingha Australia an . 10 £ r fo lia ra by boat to Aust
11
Poetry
corner
We love hearing about your tales and seeing your photos, we especially love poems, so we thought we’d share a few with you, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
Hotters are the shoes to buy When you wear them You’ll wonder why You never bought before The shoes delivered to you r door So stylish, comfortable and smart With them you’ll never wan t to part The colours with so much to choose You’re really spoilt for choice So be a Hotter fan like me It won’t be long before you ’ll see That to walk the Hotter way Your feet will thank you eve ry day Mrs Spencer, Essex
Ode to Hotter Shoes I think it was about half past three me When a man in a van brought a parcel to , news I said to the man, “this is good s”. You’ve just delivered my new Hotter shoe , I opened the box with a grin and a smile a while. quite for them ring admi there stood And just st, agha I put the shoes on and walked with the past. How I’ve suffered with pain and grief in fair, Some shoes are alright, to be honest and air. on ng walki am I pair But with this lovely . So, if ever I am down and feeling the blues s. shoe r Hotte new my I just smile and think of John Derek Hill, Lancashire
Send us your poems and letters to weloveshoes@hotter.com or upload them to our facebook page.
Customer Service: 0800 525 893 Personal Shoppers: 0800 083 3083
E: weloveshoes@hotter.com W: www.hotter.com Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes @hottershoes
Walking really wa s a pain, In the sun, the wi nd or rain, So thinking that I really "auter"? Buy some good new shoes from Hotter. They came in tim e for me to go, Off on my hols wi th wife in tow, The shoes were stuck on my achi ng feet, Then joy of joys, oh! what a treat . No more aching , wobbly legs, Now springy ste ps on happy pegs , Hotter Comfort, I praise you well, May all your shoe s just sell and se ll. I'll purchase mor e you can be su re, I may be daft bu t won't be poor, As with your myri ad of styles, I'll walk and walk for miles and m iles. Robert Burns, Fa rnborough
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. Unless otherwise stated competitions in this edition will close on
24th December 2010 – winners details will be printed in our online Comfort Club at www.hotter.com or contact the Editor for a full list.