Blu Betty

Proudly SA brand, Blu Betty offers a range of stylish genuine leather shoes with their shoes being manufactured at their own factory in KwaZulu-Natal. As such they are able to offer a flexible approach, an evolving range and on trend innovative products. Blu Betty is a young fresh brand which has seen fantastic growth over the last 12 months and they are excited to extend their footprint across SA and are also desirous of marketing their brand outside of the country.​

Blu Betty signature styling is defined by its authentic quality leathers, quirky detail and classic elements. Whilst their shoes appeal to the trendy hip set they also have amazing (and growing) uptake from stylish elegant women of all ages!! Given the nature of their leathers, attention to styling comfort and experience behind the brand Blu Betty shoes are as comfortable as they are appealing. Their shoes are offered in sizes 3 – 9 in most styles, which can prove to be a barrier as any clients that do not fit within these sizes can not support the business.

Blu Betty was created in 2014 and is a KwaZulu Natal based business who produce their products out of their own factory. The Durban mother-and-daughter team behind Blu Betty eschew mainstream retail stockists. They would rather trade online or wake up at 6.30am on a Saturday to line up their wares next to the fresh produce and artisan cheeses of the friends they have made at various markets around KwaZulu-Natal. Blu Betty is therefore essentially a virtual shoe shop that refuse to sell their leather shoes and handbags in retail due to it meaning that costs will go up, and therefore selling price as well. They therefore utilise marketing and social media. They are trying to engage with their clients directly and keep their overheads down. In this way, they are able to offer really premium products whilst keeping their products affordable.

​The company was started by Colleen and Roxanne; a mother-and-daughter team, however, Roxanne no longer has much involvement in the brand. The business is therefore now run by Colleen and only consists of a total of five main team members. Colleen is in charge of design and remains the owner of Blu Betty. Operating under Colleen, is Steph Touzel who is head of Marketing and Sales Management. Steph is in charge of Candice, who is their Administrator, Stephan and Charlene, who both head up Sales. The Blu Betty members do get some help from a handful of workers who help them craft their products, however, each of these five team members are actively part of the creation and crafting of their products, making their brand more trustworthy, unique and authentic.

The business launched with a range of flat women's shoes in a variety of rich tones - hazelnut, emerald and ruby red. They sell their shoes at Durban's I Heart Market, at the Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market, Durban Musgrave's Rooftop Market and Umhlanga's Up Market. The mother-and-daughter team of Blu Betty are in charge of product design, while Davison, a photographer, handles all marketing and branding. All shoes and handbags are made in their own little factory in Pinetown's Knwoles Centre.

Blu Betty recently embraced the concept of slow fashion, a movement which is quickly gaining momentum in South Africa. This movement is about explaining the whole process about where buyer's clothing comes from and moving away from the fast paced world of 'trends'.

Blu Betty is a proudly Durban-based leather shoes and handbag designing company. The brands vision is to strive for authenticity, high quality, comfort and quality in design and execution. ​Blu Betty's mission is to be authentic, of good quality & for the individual. ​Blu Betty offers an authentic, unique variety of leather shoes and handbags, which they hand-craft themselves locally. When it comes to values, Blu Betty focuses on quality, transparency, uniqueness, comfort and value. They practice slow fashion wherein they inform buyers of exactly where the buyers product comes from. They value their consumers and focus on offering them good quality, at an affordable price.

The business has seen a lot of success since opening in 2014. What originally started as an idea between mom and daughter, has grown to a business that is recognised by many, and available worldwide. One is able to order their products online and have them delivered to you. Initially, Blu Betty only sold their products at I Heart Market and Shongweni Farmers and Craft Market. The business has now expanded and sells their products at Durban Musgrave's Rooftop Market and Umhlanga's Up Market, as well as online. The small, local factory where Blu Betty make their products has grown slightly so as to keep up with demand, but still offers its' audience the quality products that they trust. The business has employed more people to help with shoe and handbag making, and are therefore able to stay ahead of demands. The brand has become well-known yet still remains people-oriented and not profit-focused.

Although Blu Betty has seen much success, there is room for improvement. Certain designs sold were however not as popular as others - this could have been prevented if proper market research was done. When it comes to looking for information about the business, it is extremely difficult due to them not having a website. Although their social media platforms have a significant amount of followers, they could be getting better response from those consumers and gaining more followers overall. Blu Betty also only offers their shoes in certain sizes (3-9). We feel that this is a limiting factor and that a widen range of sizes could prove beneficial and result in increased sales. Overall, Blu Betty is doing very well for a small, local business. With some work and passion, we will be able to help them elevate their brand to new heights.

We selected Blu Betty due to them being a proudly local South African business. We appreciate the fact that mass production and big profits are not the driving factor for Blu Betty, and that they sympathise with consumers and therefore want to offer them great quality at an affordable price. Blu Betty wants to remain a small local business, and does not want to expand. This is another reason why we chose them, as we can personally interact with their team members and get to know them and the business they are running. This will help us, as consultants, to give the, the best advice and effectively help them improve their business.