A London shoe and accessories brand founded in 1963 and best known for Kurt Geiger London, KG and Carvela, with its head office in Clerkenwell.
Kurt Geiger designs and sells shoes, bags and accessories. Its brands include Kurt Geiger London, KG Kurt Geiger and the younger-looking Carvela, and it also has children's shoes under the Mini Miss KG name, according to Wikipedia. Its own article describes the company as London-based and as a global, accessories-led lifestyle brand. It sells through its own shops, through concessions in department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges, and online, which a trade article says make up about half of direct-to-consumer sales. Its products are known for being bold and playful.
The company was founded in 1963 by Austrian fashion designer Kurt Geiger, after whom it is named. Neil Clifford has been chief executive since 2003, and Rebecca Farrar-Hockley is creative director, according to Wikipedia. The company says its brand values are kindness, creativity and London. It says its in-house design team has worked for over sixty years to create bold styles that encourage self-expression, and Mr Clifford is quoted as saying "we are proud of our history, but we are not bound by it". The brand has since become part of the Steve Madden group but continues to trade under its own name.
Kurt Geiger's head office is on Britton Street in Clerkenwell, London, in a building remodelled in 2009, according to Wikipedia. The brand has around 70 stores worldwide, with shops across the UK, and a trade article mentions its store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire. Wikipedia gives about 1,700 employees, though the figure is not dated. The United States is its leading market, and the company is growing shops there, so UK teams work with colleagues overseas.
On culture, the trade article says its shops are designed to feel welcoming and unintimidating, with floral prints and comfortable seating, and that staff are trained through an in-house Business by Design Academy. It says the company has a focus on affordable fashion and playful London references in its designs. Celebrities have worn the brand, which has helped it become well known with younger shoppers. These are the company's claims and descriptions in trade coverage, not independent findings.
A footwear and accessories brand like this employs designers and product developers, buyers and merchandisers who decide what is sold, people who source and check quality in factories, shop managers and sales advisers, and teams in marketing, online sales, finance and logistics. If you are interested in fashion, retail or brand building, it shows how a design idea becomes a product on shelves. Check the company website for current roles.
Website: www.kurtgeiger.com
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