Irish musician and entrepreneur Una Healy is currently riding high following the successful launch of the new spring/summer Una Healy Original Collection.
Celebrated for its wide-ranging mix of styles, classic designs and affordable price point, the diverse and versatile collection includes heels, trainers, sandals, boots and clutch bags, available in neutrals and an eclectic range of colours.
“I’m so excited about this new collection,” Una tells LDNFASHION exclusively. “With everything that’s gone on in the world over the last year, buying a pair of new shoes hasn’t really been high on the list of people’s priorities, but as we start to ease out of lockdown and see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, it’s great that we can launch our spring/summer line and give everyone something to feel good about.”
“We’ve had to re-focus for the new range, and really look at what our customers need,” Healy explains of the collection. “And I say that because with our previous collections we designed shoes and footwear that we envisioned people wearing to a wedding, or on a Saturday night out with the girls or for a day at the races, but obviously for the last 12 months of lockdown nobody’s been going anywhere, so what we’ve tried to do this season is introduce a lot more flats, and all of those cute, comfy styles you can wear whilst going about your everyday life.”
As a member of the British girl group The Saturdays, and now a solo recording artist in her own right, Una has spent the last 13 years marrying together the worlds of music and fashion to carve out the kind of career she always dreamed of as a young girl growing up in Tipperary, Ireland. However the Swear It All Again singer is acutely aware of her standing within the world of retail, and is keen to learn more about the inner workings of the industry from the highly skilled team of people she works with.
“I didn’t study fashion design in school or collage, and I’m not going to lie and say I did, but I’m super hands-on with everything that goes into making each new collection, and I work with a great team who really help me bring my ideas and visions to life,” Una admits. “What I know I bring to the table in terms of the designing of the shoes is my creative imagination, and all of the experience I’ve had working in the entertainment industry, because really a lot of the time music and fashion go hand in hand. When you’re working on a campaign to launch a single or an album, there’s a lot of work and thought that goes into the style of how you want to present yourself to the public – so over the years I’ve developed a really good eye for what works and what looks good.”
Describing her own personal sense of style, and how that influences her designs, Una adds: “At heart, my style is very rock chick! I love studded ankle boots, black heels and wedges; so I’m very inspired by the original Chloé boot with all of the buckles, and Jimmy Choo biker boots, and YSL… I could go on forever talking about the shoes I love (laughs).”
“But not everybody can afford to buy those types of brands, so I guess my goal in starting my own shoe company, was to create a high street version of what the top designers were doing and make those styles more accessible to people. And it’s going well – we launched our first collection three years ago now, and I’m so happy with how the shoes have been received, and how successful each new collection has been.”
Shop the spring / summer 2021 Una Healy Original Collection online now at unahealyoriginal.com
Philip Logan
