SPEAKER_01 0:12

Hello, welcome back to another episode of the Men's Ware Style Podcast. I'm your host, Peter, and today on the show I am talking to the founder and creative director of KHP Concept, Dimitar K Yo, and uh KHP Concept EF 50 of Luxree Footwear is a new footwear label that launched earlier this year.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

The London designed Italian handcrafted foods and body perfection through meticulous craftsmanship and exceptional materials. Each pair takes more than two hours to make with a 40-step process required to bring the truly unique footwear to life.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Had a great time talking to Dimitar. He's gonna introduce himself now. And what is the concept behind KHP Concept?

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Hi, Pete, and hi everyone listening. Everything is really great, thank you. And thank you everyone, everyone, for joining our podcast, our lovely conversation. I'll start with introducing myself. My name is Dimitri, and I founded KHB Concept earlier this year. Uh, after working a long time in the fashion industry as a fashion buyer, merchandiser, planner, uh, which was very important for me to gain the experience within the industry. I worked for most famous retailers in the UK, some of them that are no longer operating, unfortunately. And it was a great experience to learn more about industry because founding a business, a fashion business, has always been the goal. And I founded the business in April, but I have been thinking about it for a very long time. So everything I did was strategically. I started business, international business, then I started fashion buying and merchandising, everything uh to lead me to the moment of me launching a brand. And I'm a kind of really a strict professionalist, and I have to know everything, have to be prepared for everything. I never just go and just figure it out in the moment. I have to be prepared for everything. So it was really a great experience. And I founded the brand because I was struggling to find a good footwear that is blended with the sneaker culture these days, but gives you the more classic, timeless, modern minimalism and this influence of formal wear and like formal shoes, something that is truly versatile. My journey started in Portugal. I was developing shoes there for about a year and a bit, but because everyone started going to Portugal, so I was like, oh, probably me, I should go there as well, because this is where everybody goes.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Did you go there to live? Did you go there to live or just there to um inspect productions and factories?

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Inspect production and factories. I was working with two agents, two separate agents to find me a good factory. I started prototyping, but made nothing was good enough. And what I always say to friends and everyone, I've been obsessed with shoes my whole life. I have a personal collection of over a hundred pairs of designer shoes. Most of the shoes that have been out in the past 10-15 years, I have at least one color of them. And I've always liked this quality in the shoe, the craftsmanship, the details that goes into it, you know, because I do believe that the shoe is something that finishes the outfit. It's something that I need you. And it's really important aspect uh when I build the brand and build all of the collections. So Portugal was not the place for me, really, to deliver the excellence and the quality craftsmanship that I wanted. So I moved to Italy where I found and I still work with an amazing team of people who have over 30 years of experience in the shoemaking. It's a third-generation factory, so they really have the know-how of how to make shoes. And the brand itself is very minimalistic, and I want to uh elaborate a little bit on that, is not how everyone says minimalistic and they just see a plain black trainer. For me, minimalism, modern minimalism is more than just a plain black trainer that the market is full of. So I wanted to do minimalism, but with a lot of details, and not necessarily something that you see. For example, a lot of details that I do is about the construction of the shoe. For example, we do um softer reinforcement in the front of the shoe around the toes, and more firm around the ankle, because my main goal is to have a shoe that is very stable and it doesn't lose shape over time with a lot of wear.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Right.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

It can be the laces arrangement, for example, that is something that goes into it as well. We had a different option of how to arrange the laces, so you can wear them and you can see the shoe uh better.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

So, Dimitar, let me just jump in there. So I'm guessing as you're kind of building this collection of trainers and sneakers and footwear, your your own personal arsenal of footwear, that you're you're kind of picking in your mind like what you like and what you don't like, and you're calcifying like a you're you're basically cherry-picking all the best bits that you like from all the shoes that you have in your collection, and then you're kind of bringing those design elements and thinking, well, if we can have something of this and something of that, is that how the process is working when you're trying to get the shoe in your mind at least? Is this how it's going about?

SPEAKER_02 5:44

To be honest, not necessarily, I don't look at other designs to be, oh, I like this, because if it's a certain element from another brand or another shoe that I've seen, it may not fit the shape that I want to develop because you know we have different sizes and shapes of the shoe. So certain elements would look funny if you put it. So when I feel inspired by like everyday experience, for example, I'll start sketching shoes and I'll think about different elements. Like the process may take like five minutes to sketch something if I'm really in start, or sometimes it takes me like two weeks to get it right. So it's case by case basis, to be honest. Uh, but I do like to sit outside and observe uh people in their daily life. Like I'll sit on a bench and I'll just talk what people wear in terms of like shape of the shoe, colorways, just because I don't want to create just product that I like, but what people like, and that is commercial because in the end of the day, this is the business and people should like it. Um, so I just check what people wear really and try to improve it a little bit in a sense in terms of colorway, like adding some elements. So the process can be very different.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

What about say you you're designing the shoe and you're you're drawing the shoe? Where did you learn that? Was that something that you'd picked up along the way, or was that something that you had to get special training for?

SPEAKER_02 7:06

I didn't get special training. I'm self-taught designer, to be honest. My focus was to uh when I decided to study actually funny story, I was about to go to Milan and study fashion business and fashion design. And last minute I changed my mind literally a month before I was supposed to leave for Milan to come and study in London uh to get this business experience and business knowledge because you know, like starting a fashion brand, majority of it is business as well. And I do believe that if you're creative and have the passion and the eye for the details, you can learn how to design, and that's what I did. Right. I've always sketched shoes even during uni, like all the time, or even on napkins, I would just think about an idea or a shape, and I'll just start sketching on a napkin and stuff. And then with time, with more experience, I got better and better in doing it.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

That's interesting. Yeah, so I think a lot of people will probably do it the other way, where they feel like they've got a creative flair for something, and then like whether it's fashion, music, or art, and then they'll just go to art school, but then not appreciate the the academic side of it, like the the real like tax returns and VAT and and uh like legal, like content labeling and things like that, everything that all the red tape basically, and then how to make something special in a very saturated market as well. So you must have thought at some point that there's there's a lot of foot brands out there, you own a hundred of them. So, like how and that's probably a question I wanted to ask. Like, how did you know, or what was it that specifically you thought I'm gonna make something very different, and this is what the market isn't currently supplying me?

SPEAKER_02 8:49

It took me a long time because I didn't want to just create another generic food brand, you know, because I have a lot of ads coming through my social media about shoes, and there are cool footwear brands popping up every day. And it's scary because you know, and the industry itself is very tough and it's not really welcoming in a sense, as well, you know, especially when you're starting out. Uh, so I how do you mean what do you mean with that?

SPEAKER_01 9:16

How do you mean it's not welcoming?

SPEAKER_02 9:18

I mean uh I mean that when you launch, for example, you need to prove yourself first. People have to start to like it, you know, when you approach like press or like you want to do campaigns, like people are a bit cautious at the beginning because they don't know who is behind the brand, they don't know what the brand is. And you have a lot of greenwashing as well, and all of this package, really. So you have to be very careful about all of that when you start out. It's not just our launch and it's a success from day one, you know, it takes time for it to build and build to trust and people to like start liking you and resonate with your values. So this is the tough bit, I would say, when you're launching uh any type of business, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Right. And how did you raise the capital? So you had like the idea for the brand, you know, you've got all the business behind you, and you know how to plug it into the market, but raising equity and getting this off the ground. What was uh your process there?

SPEAKER_02 10:16

So I use some personal investments, and I'm very fortunate to have very supportive parents who do help me a lot with everything uh financially as well. And they really, really support me, they really believe in the product. I give them shoes to test as well and give their opinion about it. Um, so I'm very fortunate they really have my back on that.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

Nice. Yeah, I'd I'd I'd be a bit disappointed if I was your dad and I didn't at least get a pair of shoes out of it.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Yeah, no, I actually told them I'll give you the samples or prototype supply, but if you want, you have to buy shoes at the end of the day. It's a business, you know what I mean? It's not like I have to just give out everyone's shoes.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Yeah, you don't get new shoes every month, you know. That's no like it's it's not like a free.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

I don't get myself, I just wear the oh yeah. I I wear my prototypes for samples as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

So it must have been quite exciting when you had the sample that you liked. Uh so you went through all the different designs, different factories, they weren't really giving you quite what you needed. Did you know when you landed on the right one that this was this was it and you're ready to go?

SPEAKER_02 11:24

I knew actually, yeah. My agent showed me a few factories that I could potentially work with. Uh, just note here that Italy is like the footwear industry in Italy is predominantly family-owned. And you don't have much doors open, like everyone is very cautious about who they work with. I've approached, let's say, source supplies, they'd be like, who is the brand? How many, how are you gonna price the shoes, how are you gonna market the shoes before they save you a certain component of the shoes. So we used an agent and I went to meet with the factory, and it was an instant match, I would say. They really got me through the sketches, what I was explaining, because what I do in the brand is I take the sneaker coucher, but I change the shape. I make it more slimmer, more narrow, which of course doesn't make it uh tight. It's still very much calculated with the feet of the people. It's very much a Millany shape shoes that gives you this elegant and timeless vibe of the shoe rather than most of the sneakers out there. They're very round and bulky in the front. So when I went to the factory and explained them all of this, they instantly knew what I wanted. And they work with a lot of suppliers, their supply chain is very big as well. So when I explained what kind of materials I want, they showed me. And actually, the first prototype was a fitness shoe that I didn't make any changes to it. While in Portugal, for example, I did like probably four or five rounds of sampling prototyping. While in Italy, with the first one, they just got me and they incorporated me in the whole process because I will send a sketch and the pattern maker will share with me uh the patterns on the shoelast, and we're gonna have a call or or like chat about it, and we just get it right the first time.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Interesting. Is it quite expensive to get prototypes made?

SPEAKER_02 13:26

I would say so. It varies depending on the style that you're doing, depending on the elements. Uh, for example, I am launching uh early next year a glitter crystal shoe for women, which is a sneaker, and because of the material is very stiff, because it's a glitter essentially, it is more expensive, and people have to wear special glasses because when they stitch the shoe, some of the glitter may fly into their eye. So this will increase the price of the production as well, or like the prototyping. But in general, it varies depending on the shape or how complex the shoe is, on the construction of the shoe.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

And so now we've got the the shoe and you like the design and you're ready to launch. What are you doing in terms of marketing and creating like a community? So you're not releasing the shoe into a cold space, if you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

Yeah. So first we are running uh social media advertisement, of course, just to get this brand awareness. We tell the story about the craftsmanship of the shoe because it's very interesting process. It takes about two, three hours to finish a pair, it's all hand-finished. Uh, a lot of passion and dedication goes to it because the factory has only 10 workers and they all love making shoes. So it's always amazing when I go there and I sit next to them and we just do everything together pretty much. Uh, then I have my PR team who are trying to help me launch the brand as well. And we do work with a few influencers. But the way I like to approach influencers is we show them the shoe, and if they like it, like genuinely promote the shoe or genuinely wear it because it's not just for me with them pay and be like, yeah, do a story, do a post. I want it to be genuine because I do firmly believe in the product. I spend a long time thinking about it and developing it. And I don't want someone that that won't wear even the shoe in their daily life to promote it, if it makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Yeah. No, I I always say when I've I've been lucky enough to be gifted a few things in the past, that I'd like to take the the garment on a journey. So, like for example, uh uh I had a sweater, uh military sweater, I think, from NPL. It was the same one Daniel Craig wore in the in the Bond films, and I got that in 2019. And each time it just gets cold and I have to walk the dog, so that's about six months of the year in the UK, probably longer. So I'll I'll just take another video of me wearing the sweater, you know, not every day because that would just get really, really tedious, and but just so that people have an idea of how how long the garment goes for in a way, and how you know, what does it look like at the end of that season? You know, how did it wear? What what did I have to do for the aftercare and things like that? So, I mean, I'm I'm more than happy to do things like that because it's it kind of speaks to the brand as well and like pays them back a little bit of a favor, but also lets people know I'm trying to give them my like my audience some value as to what they should be buying, or at least consider this when they do buy it, for example. So, yeah, that's that's very interesting.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

Actually, something that you mentioned is about how the product is in time, like the longevity of the product is something that I'm very keen on. And again, I speak about the small details because I'm obsessed with it. For example, I include two dustbags in for each pair of the shoes. So when you travel and you put them in separate dustbags so they don't get dirty from each other, for example, or like pick certain materials, for example, all of the suede that we use is uh two uh 0.2 millimeters thicker than the usual one, because it gives the natural structure of the shoe and prevents like a really bad creasing, if it if it makes sense, and it's water and stain repellent as well. So even if you step into water just with a cloth, you can clean the shoes or like with a soft brush, and they'll be like brand new. This is something that I constantly think because you know, when you see the product in store or on the internet, it's all perfect. But how are these shoes gonna look like in a month of wear? Yeah, no, that's interesting. I'm very involved in the process in making the shoe last and stay as it is for a very long time because I personally take care of a lot of the shoes, like I clean them, I put them in boxes, those bags, I'm obsessed with shoes, that's Kim, as you heard. So there are people who are not that careful with the shoes. So, my job is to make sure that whatever you do with the shoe it stays like this as long as possible.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Yeah, yeah, that's interesting because I was actually uh I had that mini dilemma. It's interesting you say that you have two separate bags for each shoe because I had I bought a pair of suede shoes uh when I was in Florence uh last week and I put them back in the box, but I didn't quite know how to arrange them because I didn't want the suede to rub up against each other. So they gave me like this tiny tissue paper that separated them both, but I knew it wasn't going to be enough. And I I I specifically bought these shoes for a particular event, like a month down the road, and I didn't want to have to get them out of the box and find that they've all been brushed up the wrong way, and it looks like uh yeah, it looks like disheveled. So that's actually a really good point, that kind of aftercare. And also looking at the looking at the shoes on the website and on the Instagram, which I should uh give a shout out to, by the way, at KHV underscore concept is uh on Instagram and KHVconcept.com, the place where you can go and shop. The the shoes and the sneakers look like I could buy a pair, take over, and then have them for several different occasions and meetings, like uh especially like maybe the black ones for me. So I could go and like do the casual walk around the city if I'm there and you know do all the sightseeing. But then if I have maybe a a dinner with the missus at night or a client meeting somewhere, then I could also wear them shoes and not look out of place like I'm wearing some kind of running sneaker that I needed to be comfortable during the day. But now I so um when you're traveling, is what I'm trying to say. It's really handy to just have one pair of shoes or at most two pairs of shoes that you need. So yeah, I think I think you really you really um you service the industry well there for one of a better phrase.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Thank you. This was uh one of the main goals when I was uh starting the brand is a shoe that you can dress down or dress up, and it just fits because you know there are a lot of sneakers out there, they'll look nice with jeans, but they won't like they won't look nice with a tailored trouser, for example. Yes, yes, yes. So I personally test everything. So I get the shoes, try with different outfits myself, and I'll walk with the shoes for hours to see if there's any issue with the shoes, too. And uh, I know even how many steps it takes to break in each pair. Oh, really? Like, because I just go to the gym, put the shoes, get on the skill meal, and start walking.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Right, oh that's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Yeah, yeah, and the support of the shoe, as I said, the different reinforcements, they make it very comfortable for all day, even when you travel, and the insole too, it has like an arc that would fit your feet perfectly, so like they won't get tired. It's not like a flat uh insole, so it just follows the structure of the feet naturally.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

But what if you're on the treadmill and some friend that you know comes over to you and taps you on the shoulder and wants to talk, and you have to tell them to go away because you're in the middle of counting steps? It's gonna must be a bit of a weird conversation that you're gonna have with that guy. Probably best to maybe just give them to uh like a friend and go, look, here, go go walk your dog in these, but count the steps as you go around so you can do it all at the same time. You don't want to take on too much, Dimitar, is what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Yeah, well, I'm trying not to, to be honest, but I'm a control freak and I trust myself best, you know. How I look at the brand, the health taker of the brand, whoever it is, won't pay as much as attention as I do because I constantly look at the shoes and think of different ways to test them. Even before production, we will get leathers. I'll go to like Linea Pelle in Milan, for example, and I'll select leathers, then I'll send them to the factory, and they're gonna do tests and be like this leather is gonna fail during production, or like down the line. Um, so yeah, I trust myself best and I want to experience everything myself before um. I launch it because I always say if I'm not gonna buy it, I'm not gonna sell it, and I'm really picky about everything. So interesting.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Okay, well, listen, uh Dimitar, I got a question for you that that came to mind halfway through the interview, something that you you picked up on. And I had this conversation with a friend on the train on the way home. We I was wearing white trainers, right? And I've been around in these white trainers for about the last week because I'm doing renovations at home, so I've only got access to one pair of shoes. And these white trainers are getting kicked about, they look, they look done in, they've got mud on them, like all kinds of marks. And I said to my mate, I said, Look, look at my trainers, they're absolutely buggered, right? That you know, I look like a homeless person right now with what I'm wearing on my feet. And he goes, No, no, this this is actually this is the look I go for because I like people to I want people to know that I've been on a journey so that they can see my trainers and know that I've come from somewhere. I thought, huh, yeah, I I like that, but I don't think I could I don't think my girlfriend's ever going to sign off on anything like that. Because she says, she says one or two things, she'll go, like uh, you know, I see I see shoes and trainers before I see the person. As in if someone's coming towards her on the street, the first thing she'll see is the footwear, the second is like the height, and then I don't know what the third one is. Maybe the maybe the the fingernails or whatever it is. But the uh the the footwear, so what what say you then on because I know there are brands that release deliberately distressed white sneakers, and it looks like they've just been in a cement mixer, but really that is the look. So, do you have any take on that? Is that some look that you gravitate towards? What say you?

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Me personally, not at all, and I don't think I'll ever do it because I like this clean and neat aesthetic that you're always on point and no distresses. Like this is something that I personally don't resonate with, and I don't think that my customer would like something like this.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

I guess if you made a success of what you as in a continued success of the brand, and it went on to do great things, uh, you could always do some collaboration where you do like an opposite, like a complete opposite of what you think your customer wants in some way, you know, like a mirrored, a mirrored version of the shoe, and it would it would be a scuffed, deliberately scuffed, deliberately distressed version of your shoe. And then people will go, Wow, that's uh that's so unique that he came out with that.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

I never say never, so maybe in the future down the line, you never know because trends changes, even though I don't follow much of the trends. But you have to listen to what people like and just everything is a learning curve, so maybe down the line I'll change my mind and I'll do it. But for the moment, it's not something that I'm considering. You know, it's the business and the fashion industry is ever changing, so you never know when you're gonna land in like one or two years.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Right, yeah. Well, that's a good note to go out on. Dimitar, thanks for jumping on the call. Where can people go? Remind people where they can go and have a look at the shoes and buy them, please.

SPEAKER_02 25:09

They can go at www.khconcept.com. It's the only place the shoes are at the moment. And they're just four styles now on the website, but early next year we are getting another 16.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

Fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

Which will be different ones, and most of the conversation will make a little bit more sense when we speak about the suede and stuff. And they're gonna be a lot more categories in 2024. We're gonna introduce boots, high heels, a lot more shoes for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Oh, terrific. Have you got any plans to do pop-ups or uh or shows in London where people can see you in town?

SPEAKER_02 25:46

Pop-ups, yes, but not a specific date. I just want to get most of the collections in first before we do it. Brilliant. Um, but at the moment, it's just on the website.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

And they look great as well. So we'll put all the links over on the show notes um at mensweestyle.co.uk. But listen, Dimitar, thanks so much for your time and uh best of luck. Thank you very much, and thank you everyone for listening.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

If you're listening to the Menswear Style podcast, be sure to head over to menswearstyle.co.uk for more menswear content and email info at menswearstyle.co.uk if you'd like to be a future guest on the show. Finally, please help support the show by leaving a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening to this podcast. Until next time.