The mother-son team of Juliet Morgan, Shoan’s Collection designer, and Joel Laing, administrator, are the principals of the two-year-old Shoan’s Collections company. While the company manufactures bags, clutches, belts, customisable accessories, and occasionally school shoes for needy children, it is mostly known for its women’s shoes. Having experienced major success with the growth of its customer base of what it describes as edgy and glamorous women “who desire enviable, comfortable and lasting footwear”, the company has also begun making sandals for bridal parties.

Morgan, who once operated a retail store, would, take materials from the unsold items and repurpose them to make handbags. She then deviated from handbags and started making matching footwear and other accessories.

Shoan’s Collections, having shifted focus from handbags for a while, will soon return to the production of bags and accessories such as belts and purses. Morgan, who signalled that customer feedback is of utmost importance to the brand, says that it is used to gauge adjustments needed to offer a better overall product for the growing company, and is the reason for the company’s decision to introduce an upcoming men’s shoewear collection.

The decision to make the manufacturing company a family business was an easy one. Her son Laing, she says, has for a long time been exposed to her business affairs and is now very well versed in procurement. His fluency in Mandarin enables him to communicate and negotiate effectively with suppliers in the Far East, making him, in essence, an asset.

So, while Laing handles the business side, his mother says her design inspiration comes from her passion to differentiate the brand from what currently exists on the market. During the design process, she is also inspired by the materials laid out before her, noting that some materials work better in certain designs than others. “[They are] always different as we are constantly developing new designs,” she said of her collections, adding that there are still many that have not yet been released. Morgan, who has taken a number of sewing and decorative courses locally and overseas, recently returned with Laing from Magic, a leading apparel show in the USA. Participation in such events are a way of staying abreast of trends in the industry. She credits part of the growth of the company to her commitment to researching the industry and long-established alliances with new suppliers of varying materials, tools, and equipment, which allows flexibility to experiment with materials and embellishments.

Laing’s exposure to managing directors of well-known brands, including Hugo Boss, through one-on-one discussions, has also been a boost. The duo hope to make these learned lessons a springboard to becoming the leading manufacturer of footwear in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Check out Shoan’s c ollections and/or browse their inventory through the following mediums:

Kiosk A at 28-48 Barbados Avenue, ground floor of Sagicor Life’s head office building

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Contact: 773-7676/919-0309.