Fall footwear trends with Canadian company Poppy Barley

Fall brings about images of comfy scarves, oversized sweaters and kicking up leaves in a pair of stylish boots. This season, Canadian e-commerce footwear company Poppy Barley is coming to Vancouver and bringing their luxury made-to-order shoes and fall fashion expertise with them.

Sisters Kendall and Justine Barber founded the company 2012 after a seemingly endless frustration with boot shopping. Both avid runners, they always struggled to zip up boots over their calves.

Poppy Barley footwear is manufactured in León, Mexico at a rare, female-owned custom shoe factory. Their footwear is made with premium, all-leather materials. The company is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta and ships hundreds of leather boots and shoes across North America every month.

For a proper, comfortable fit, each customer’s measurements are taken. They take four measurements for their knee boots, including foot length, foot width, calf width and boot height, and two measurements for their flats, oxfords, ankle boots and men’s shoes.

Made-to-order footwear takes anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks to arrive at your doorstep. However, new this year is the availability of certain stock ready to ship within 24 hours if you’re a standard size (6.5 to 9.5 with a regular foot width).

This is also Vancouver’s first opportunity to shop their new Fall 2015 Collection and the third time they’ve hosted a popup shop in the city over the last two years.

“We’re excited to be in the Little Mountain Space (4386 Main Street) from Sept 23 to 25th, every day from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” says Caroline Gault, Community Manager for Poppy Barley. “It’s an enhanced experience to shop in person and see/touch/smell the leathers in-person. The quality speaks for itself.”

Additionally, Poppy Barley will be coming to Vancouver for BlogPodium – a series of conferences and small workshops – on September 26 at the PanPacific Hotel.

BlogPodium is in its third year and this is its first visit to Vancouver (it started in Toronto). It’s a completely sold out event, filled with business owners, bloggers and creatives. Former Bachelorette and Love It Or List It Vancouver host Jillian Harris is the opening keynote.

Gault spoke with Vancity Buzz about what to look for this year when it comes to fabulous footwear, and what they’ll be presenting at BlogPodium.

According to Poppy Barley, what are some fall 2015 trends?

New this season, we’ve introduced The Chain Boot, which really speaks to the alt-rock trend we saw on the runways. We also introduced a brand new limited edition leather, Marsala, which is Pantone’s 2015 Colour of the Year (as of now, there are only six pairs of boots left in this colour).

While the perfect pair of skinny jeans, leggings and tights are ideal for our classic riding boots and will never go out of style, we’re also loving the flared jeans that are coming back this season; our brand new Lace-up Ankle Bootie in Cobra, as well as our Classic Ankle Booties, Chelsea Boots, Slip-on Oxfords and Brogues are the perfect pairings for pant legs with a wider silhouette.

Knee highs, booties and Oxfords: Anything special going on with these this season?

This season, our Fall 2015 Collection was inspired by a luxurious weekend getaway to the Rocky Mountains and all the hues and textures you’d find in that landscape. Also, our Women’s Oxford Collection are shoe styles that were originally made for our Men’s line and we’ve adapted the sizing for women.

They are stunning – cow and calf leathers, original brogue detailing, and we’ve named them after inspiring women throughout history, like Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Marilyn Monroe. On that note: each style in our Men’s Collection is named after a Canadian city. Check out the Vancouver Chukka!

When it comes to footwear, what are some important things to keep in mind for fall?

We focus on classic styles and ultimate comfort; [our shoes] will literally be the boots you walk half an hour to and from work in, the flats you wear around the office every day, the heels you wear out at night, and you’ll never want to take them off your feet. Comfort, comfort, comfort, without sacrificing style.

Price can freak some people out, but can a good boot last and make it all worth it?

We say #LuxuryForThePeople because we’re bringing the luxury of made-to-order footwear to the masses. Typically, to buy a pair of shoes that takes multiple measurements into consideration, you’re looking at sport/equestrian shoemakers, or high end brands and prices starting at $1500. Because of our direct online sales model, we’ve created a new relationship between product and price point. Our footwear ranges from $215 to $498. It’s about materials, not markups; fair profits; and justified pricing.

What will Poppy Barley be covering at BlogPodium?

Our presentation will be about launching a business and building a brand: hustle and heart; accepting that things can get a little messy when you’re running a startup; identifying your vehicle; and the Human Brand Era (which means honesty and transparency with your team and with customers!). We’ll provide Poppy Barley case studies on brand building and collaboration, and aim to provide key, actionable takeaways for attendees.

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Poppy Barley encourage walk-ins, but customers can also secure their measuring appointment ahead of time by booking here, or online at poppybarley.com/events. It’s important to note they cannot accommodate medical orthotics, braces or measurements outside those listed on the website.