Moe shoe designer Emily Kenter takes her Heel Society stilettos to Paris catwalks and beyond

Emily Kenter’s strappy heel designs are being celebrated on catwalks around the world. (Supplied: Emily Kenter)

For young designer Emily Kenter, fashion was always her first love.

But the journey from her hometown of Moe in the industrial heartland of Victoria’s Latrobe Valley to the runways of Paris was hardly a well-worn path.

As a child, Emily was always experimenting with outfits and fashion accessories.

As a teenager, she held down two after-school jobs, at Kmart and KFC.

Now, at just 26 years old, she has created her own designs — and those strappy stilettos are being celebrated on catwalks around the world.

A business brain

Emily completed her VCE but didn’t apply for an ATAR because university was not part of her plan.

Instead she focused on honing her business acumen, juggling two jobs to learn as much as she could about how fashion made women feel.

Three years ago, stuck in a job she did not like, she decided to take the plunge and create her own shoe label, Heel Society.

“I’ve always loved heels and I just wanted something to call my own and design something that I could call my fashion brand,” she said.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes and there’s certainly been a lot of highs and lows along the journey,” she said.

“Contacting suppliers, learning how to build a brand, just even navigating online how to do the marketing side, it’s been a huge learning process.”

Dream big

Getting her design from paper into production was part of the learning curve for Emily, who said she “just went all in”, without any business degrees or qualifications.

She worked closely with suppliers, making sure her product was manufactured in Australia, a big undertaking when many rival products are made more cheaply overseas.

“There’s been a lot of back and forth with suppliers but it was worth it in the end because I got the product I wanted,” she said.

Launching her label as an online business in November 2022, Emily and her best friend Kimberley Graham worked together to manage all operations and marketing.

Their first collection showcased at the Gold Coast Fashion Week in May last year, catching the eye of US clothing store ELJ Avenue.

They then asked for Emily’s work to collaborate at Paris Fashion Week — a huge scoop for the designer.

“I think as a small business owner, it was a nice feeling to see someone else find value in the potential of my first collection designs, especially on an international level.”

While Emily credits some of her success to the power and reach of social media, she said it was still important to network, and meet people face to face.

“I think you just have to put yourself in situations where you are going to get better opportunities,” she said.

From Moe to Milan

Emily is now working towards New York Fashion Week in September, with a longer goal of Milan Fashion Week in two years’ time.

While she does not consider herself a trailblazer for young designers, she does have some advice for others wanting to enter the cut-throat fashion industry.

“Just go for it — if it brings you joy and you’ve got passion for it, don’t worry about what other people say,” she said.

“Just don’t let other people’s opinions put you off, because it’s your dream — no one else can see it.”