British footwear brand Terry de Havilland is planning a US retail launch with Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom later this year, according to Darren Spurling, who owns the business.
Spurling, 60, is the nephew of the late designer Terry de Havilland and runs the Newcastle-based company with his son Josh. The business has ten employees, designs in Britain and manufactures its shoes in Spain.
The move follows a rise in US online sales after recent sightings of actresses including Millie Bobby Brown and Margot Robbie wearing the brand’s shoes.
The label was founded by Terrence Higgins, who began designing shoes in 1972 and opened his King’s Road shop, Cobblers to the World, the same year. He took his trading name from a Paris phone book. “He didn’t think Higgins was a very good name for shoes,” Spurling said, “it didn’t seem exotic.”
The brand’s platform heels were worn in the 1970s by David Bowie and by customers Spurling listed as “Lulu, Cher, The Rolling Stones, Elton John”. Its Margaux wedge, named after Margaux Hemingway, has been in the collection since 1973, and the Deco heel, a five-inch sandal with metallic snakeskin trim, has been displayed at the V&A. The museum’s collection also includes a pair of his 1972 snakeskin platform shoes, given by the milliner David Shilling.
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