Milan, Paris, Skegness…
Claire Myszczyszyn, Fashion Footwear Designer

Even fashion footwear designer Claire Myszczyszyn would agree that Skegness is hardly a name with the same pret-a-porter caché as Milan or Paris… but with a new range of special occasion shoes ideal for weddings due to be launched next year, the seaside town will soon be the birthplace a new generation of designer footwear!

Ask any woman about her dream job, and it’s likely that ‘professional shoe shopper, spending someone else’s money’ is an answer that would rank right up there with chocolate tester for Galaxy or personal masseuse to Mr George Clooney. Nonetheless, that’s just what footwear designer Claire Myszczyszyn does each and every season, with her clients funding trips to the shoe shops and boutiques of Milan, Paris and even New York to suss out the later designer collections.

“It’s the best bit of the job, but it’s hard work too, you almost become dispassionate when trailing from store to store laden with bags!” says Claire with perhaps a touch more modesty than most women would afford her.

Born and raised on her family’s farm near Spilsby, Claire attended Boston College from 1996-1998 and emerged with a BTEC Diploma in Fashion Design before attending Cordwainers College in London, a small but world renowned higher education college for designers of fashion accessories.

There, Claire met Jimmy Choo, Patrick Cox, Emma Hope and Liz Bennett - all graduates of the same college. “It was brilliant – a really intimate old Victorian college dedicated to footwear and handbags!” says Claire.

In addition to design skills, Claire studied clicking and closing - industry-speak for cutting and sewing - manufacturing, sales & marketing and even Italian - to communicate with the industry leaders in Europe - and how to produce shoes competitively.

As the course drew to an end, Claire won a work experience scholarship working for a commercial supplier and importer in Northampton – the UK’s mecca for footwear – working on a men’s range for BHS. Before her course ended Claire had already been offered a full time position designing ladies’, men’s and children’s