All women love shoes, and so does Ashley Lim. She founded her shoe startup brand with the same name in Sydney, Australia successfully and, is now setting it up in South Korea by introducing a new eco-friendly brand – WICKED LOVER. Ashley Lim is a luxury women’s shoe brand targeting working women, and WICKED LOVER, which is set to launch in September 2020, will be an eco-friendly plant-based leather footwear line for both men and women.
Making comfortable and fabulous shoes
Before establishing her unique footwear brand, Ashley Lim worked as an architect with several award-winning architecture firms. As a working woman in a corporate environment, Ashley would get several pairs of shoes – from trainers and walking flats to office heels, to pretty party shoes. “I always wondered why we women could not have it all – look fabulous and feel comfortable at the same time. That’s how my shoe brand came about – the quest for the season’s most stylish shoes that are so comfortable, they’re a pure joy to live in,” Ashley Lim shares.
In 2014, Ashley founded Extraordinary Ordinary Day (EODstyle.com) in Australia and then rebranded it to ASHLEY LIM in 2018. Having grown up in Seoul, Ashley always maintained a strong emotional and creative tie to East Asia, which has now brought her back to her roots. Ashley’s startup is now relocated to Seoul, and her company will launch ‘WICKED LOVER’ shoes for both men and women on September 1.
Eco-friendly is the focus this year
WICKED LOVER shoes will be made sourcing eco-friendly plant-based leather from external suppliers. The company’s focus this year is to work with sustainable, organic vegan leather, free of toxic chemicals. Hence, WICKED LOVER shoes will be luxurious, stylish, and good for humans, animals, and Mother Earth. This collection is immaculately designed with great emphasis on versatility and comfort.
The startup expects Korean men and women to love the ‘WICKED LOVERR’ brand, just as the ASHLEY LIM brand is adored in Australia. “I believe our brand’s competitive edge lies in our customer-centric designs and storytelling,” says Ashley.
Shoes’ success in Australia
Ashley is passionate about shoe designs, and her architectural background helps her create shoes that provide a delicate balance between structure, form, and function for the modern woman. Since the launch in 2014, Ashley Lim shoe designs have been featured in numerous prestigious fashion magazines with the likes of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, and many more. Most recently, Ashley Lim was named in Habitus Magazine as one of the ’10 Top Asian Fashion Designers’.
Ashley Lim’s shoe line has created over 100 shoe designs across 10 different collections from 2014 to 2019. The shoe brand has participated in events like Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA). Some of the famous Ashley Lim footwear customers include Lucy Turnbull, Former Lord Mayor of Sydney and First Lady of Australia, and Kate Mulvany, an Australian actor in Hollywood and screenwriter. Ashley Lim hopes to taste better success in her homeland.
