She's got sole

We all wonder what we're going to wear and how we're going to look.
I get angry with people who look down their noses at fashion, because worldwide, messages are projected through it. It's always a statement, whether you're wearing something fabulous or something drab - the choice you make is a declaration and a projection of self.

Womenswear has always been daunting to me.
I felt I could never compete with the uber feminine fashionistas - I could never bring myself to even attempt to. I like to see what they're doing but I found no revelation, whereas I had clear visions of what I wanted to create for men. With menswear you don't always have to be three steps ahead of the crowd and hope that you hit upon a hot trend, which I think is incredibly stressful. I wanted to avoid that as far as possible.

I have no idea why I was drawn to shoes.
It started with an idea for a summer loafer. My male friends were either buying crummy leather loafers from markets or ludicrously expensive designer shoes. Everything that fell in the middle had some kind of fashion twist - a crazy tassle or a funky pattern. I wanted to offer something that was affordable, comfortable and uncomplicated. Rather than splashing out on a pair of expensive shoes that would only last one summer, you could use that budget and buy three or four pairs of Fin's.

I think boys really responded to the replaceable concept. They can have a lot of fun with it and they have a variety of colours to choose from. You would think that most tend to be a lot more conservative and they are for the most part. You notice that the first time a customer comes in, he goes for the brown or navy, but next time he'll go for something slightly more adventurous. Then his wife will come in and get him the pink… I think that men are collectors at heart.

I am planning to expand and will be introducing the classic black Oxford. But the same principles will always apply: quality, good shape, soft leather, comfortable and easy to replace when you've finished wearing them into the ground! My priority at the moment is to figure out what other shoe I can give the Fin's man. Is it a house slipper? Is it an espadrille? Is it a trainer?

I don't have one male muse - I have many.
Obviously my model is very tall, incredibly handsome and thinks I'm great... But seriously, a variety of men inspire me. What I think is exciting is the range of personalities who are embodying basic, classic style. It's a treat for me to see teenage boys wearing their Fin's. They love the colours and uncomplicated style.

My best customer is an art dealer who has houses across the world as well as 25 pairs of Fin's - a few pairs in Gstaad, some in the South of France, a few in his country house…

There are my Middle Eastern customers, who will buy a pair in every single colour because they just couldn't decide which colour they liked most. And there are the slightly arty, edgy creatures wearing the crazy yellow pair. I love the broad appeal.

Men like their uniforms.
Weekend garb, their favourite jeans, suits for work and so on. Men find an item they love, and when they need a new one, they want it to be exactly the same, but often can't find it because the range has been discontinued. I think that's where the success lies in brands such as Lobb and Mr Cleverly - they know they can get the same pair for the next 50 years.

I admit that I shop like a man.
I shop with purpose. I'm not a browser. I don't go into shops just to look around. I know what I need, I know what I want, I set my budget and it's done. I don't indulge in the girly shopping process.
Shopping tends to make me feel inadequate because there are so many choices available and that fills me with anxiety!

I was all set to go university to study graphic design, but decided not to at the last minute.
I didn't want to do a gap year either - I wanted work experience. Suddenly, I found myself wanting to get out of bed in the morning whereas my mother had to get me out of the house with a broomstick when I was at school. It was the first time my parents had ever seen me truly happy.

I worked for a PR agency for a couple of years and then woke up to the fact that I hadn't done the student stint. Most people were going to Thailand, but I went to New York for my [soul awakening] experience.

I landed an internship at American Vogue in Anna Wintour's office for The Devil Wears Prada experience.

I would recommend for anyone who is interested in fashion to do an internship: pack shoes, coordinate bags and get to know a vibrant fashion-centric city. Be capable, be willing to work hard, and you'll have a good shot at getting a great start. Maybe I was just lucky, but in New York I felt like people were willing to give me the best possible chance. There is so much about New York that is utterly ruthless. Everybody's looking for the next best thing, and there's a strong possibility that it's not going to be you, but in the beginning, they give you the benefit of the doubt!

Coming back to London was a bit of a come down. I went to British Vogue, but I just didn't click. I was approached by a few people as a creative consultant, but there was an element of frustration involved in that I could give suggestions until I was blue in the face, but ultimately, the buck stopped with them. So I thought, why don't I set up my own business?

The shoe idea had been sitting with me for a bit. I approached my dad to help. He gave me three months and said that if it wasn't working, I'd have to get a ‘real' job. Before I knew it, I had a 50-page business plan and a first order of 3,000 shoes.

If I'd known how much red tape I'd have to jump over in the beginning, I probably would never have had the courage to start it.
In retrospect, going in blindly was an advantage! I soon learnt my strengths and my limitations. One of the disciplines which has served me well is having an unswerving vision of what my brand is and who it is geared towards, as well as what my message is.

When I have followed someone's advice against what I felt, I have made mistakes I've regretted. I now know to follow my gut. I sometimes have to trace my steps back to the beginning in order to gain clarity of what I want. Working as a consultant, I found that people often got so worked up over the colour of a button or stitch that they lost touch with the bigger picture as to what made that accessory great. You have to step back.

There are a few who have worn my shoes that are particularly memorable for me...
Valentino ordered a pair of Fin's for every guest on his yacht. To get that level of approval from such an icon was so motivating. When I met Sting, he clicked that I was the owner of Fin's and raved that he'd been wearing the loafers in Tuscany. He then thanked me. I was speechless.

But I'd say that David ‘The Hoff' Hasselhoff is probably my favourite achievement. He's bananas for the shoes. I know he's not the world's style icon, but to have The Hoff on your team and to have him emailing you pictures of him in your shoes (one of which was a picture of him in a full black leather suit wearing the green pistachios), I say, is pretty up there!