All women love shoes and being a woman, Alice S. Uy knew that by heart. She also wanted shoes that are durable, comfortable to walk and run, and something with class.
Uy, however, noticed that these kinds of shoes were branded and were usually expensive.
“I noticed that there’s not much durable, comfortable and classy shoes sold in the market that cost less than a thousand. That’s when I thought of giving that opportunity to my fellow women,” Uy said.
And so Uy set up her own company called Jace Handicrafts International in 2008. She imported goods and supplies to brands in the country.
One of the products she imports are shoes.
“Under Jace Handicrafts International, I then created my own shoe line,” she said.
Uy wanted a brand name that will really describe her products in one word. She came up with “Lipstick.”
“I named my brand Lipstick because like lipstick, my shoes are something that you wear and then it gives you a feeling of being complete and already good to go,” she said.
In looking for her suppliers of shoes, Uy travels abroad herself and handpicks all the shoe designs that she will carry under her brand.
“I really invest a lot of time to look for my suppliers because I wanted my products to be at par with the branded ones in terms of designs, durability and comfort,” she said.
She regularly checks on the new designs of branded shoes like Nine West, Jimmy Cho and other high-end brand shoes.
“I do that so that I can also request something of the same class from my suppliers,” she said.
Yu said she’s not fond of high heels or stiletto types of shoes but she would try on a similar product offered by a supplier and take it for a road test.
“I do that to all my products even with my flats because I want to feel how comfortable it is and how durable it is. Of course, we women really see our shoes as an investment and we wouldn’t want our collection to break easily.”
With a brand created and a number of collections, Yu then approached local department store owners to give her space in their stores where she could display her shoes.
“The Gaisano Metro group was the first store chain I had a display in and I’m very thankful for them because they are very supportive of the local brands,” she said.
Her products weren’t difficult to sell in the department stores because of the designs and the affordable prices.
“I made sure my prices are very affordable because I want every woman to have a chance to own durable and classy shoes that are comfortable for everyday wear,” she said.
Her shoes and sandals are sold from P200 to a few thousand pesos.
“My flat sandals are very durable and many people like them because they have the same quality and designs as Ipanema which cost a lot more,” she said.
At present Lipstick shoes and sandals are already displayed in all Metro Gaisano stores nationwide, Robinsons Department stores and Island City Mall in Bohol.
Yu however had difficulty entering the Manila market because operators there were hesitant to allow a Cebuano brand to supply them.
“It’s difficult to get into other malls in Manila that is why I’m very thankful to Gaisano Metro for really helping,” she said.
After two years, Uy claimed having gained more clients and she planned to add another brand aside from Lipstick.
“I’m however planning to create a different brand that will carry all the stiletto types and the Lipstick brand will then carry all the flat sandal lines to differentiate them,” she said.
Uy said that she is still currently thinking of another catchy name for a new brand and is targeting to launch the new brand before the end of this year.
Aside from Lipstick, Uy also set up Value Plus Shopaholic, which is a shop she set up at the warehouse where she stores her stocks.
“The shop actually caters to those who want to start a new business. Here they can buy all supplies to open a shop for shoes, bags and accessories,” she said.
Uy said that was offering wholesale prices for her products at the shop so that people could really have a return-on-investment right away.
“I have sandals here which are sold at only P25 each for wholesale and we have mannequins, shoe stands, hangers, bags and all that one would need for a shop,” she said.
Uy said that many of her clients in the shop, who started small, were doing well and repeatedly buy stocks from them.
“I’m just happy that through my business, I was also able to help other people become entrepreneurs. They can always start small.”
Uy has also partnered with the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Mandaue Business Month Search for WINNERS event where she helped empower small women entrepreneurs in Mandaue.