Pastel is the new black – so say Rachel Darby and Ross Davies, the co-founders of Dorset based luxury loafer brand Pastel Sixteen.

The company was set up in Puddletown, in the west of the county, in 2016 and is now intent in encouraging its customers to express themselves and “let the colour be seen”.

Pastel Sixteen is a lifestyle and fashion brand based around 16 core colours, each named after the city that best encapsulates its vibe – meaning there is a colour for every occasion, mood and personality.

Claire Williams catches up with Rachel to find out more...

GIVE US A BRIEF BACKGROUND ABOUT YOURSELF – WERE YOU BORN IN DORSET?

"I actually grew up in Somerset but I moved to Bournemouth in 2005 when I started university here to study Media & Communication. I’ve pretty much lived in the area ever since, so after 12 years I would say that I’ve adopted Dorset as my home! After studying for my degree I embarked on a career in marketing for almost seven years and then I moved to work in brand management for about a year. It has always been my dream to start up my own business so when the idea for Pastel Sixteen came about I took the leap of faith!"

HOW DID PASTEL SIXTEEN FIRST COME ABOUT?

"In January last year I was looking for a sky blue flat loafer and I couldn’t find anything online or on the high-street that was either the right colour or a good quality. It was at this point that I noticed a gap in the market for more colourful shoes in classic styles, and that choices were usually limited to brown, black or navy. After some initial research I really saw that unless you wanted a trainer, or canvas type shoe, colours were extremely limited. From here I saw the opportunity to create a lifestyle brand based around colour."

WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR LUXURY BRAND?

"The colour range, the attention to detail, the custom sole, the comfort and the ability to be expressive through your colour choice. We want to make people feel happy when rocking their Pastel Sixteens!"

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THESE PARTICULAR COLOURS AND CITY NAMES? "We wanted to celebrate the diverse and unique cultures around the world that make fashion so exciting, therefore we decided to name our colours after fashion cities to bring them to life. There are so many studies out there about the psychology of colour and what kinds of feelings different colours evoke, and from visiting lots of different cities which all have different vibes and feels to them we thought why not team the two things together. We think it gives another dynamic to our colours and let’s face it, “Rome” and “Paris” are much more exciting than “dusty pink” and “fuchsia pink”!

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?

"Ross (Davies, co-founder) and I are inspired by taking an idea and making it a reality. There is no greater moment than finally seeing what you’ve imagined in your mind in your hands. Everyone has the ability to have a great idea and a lot of people do, but only a small percentage actually try and do something with it. We are inspired by the people who go for it and make things happen. We also both share a love of exploring new places and from spending long weekends in Europe, we noticed the colour ranges available, particularly in footwear are much more extensive than in the UK which inspired us to have such a large colour range.

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?

"Setting up the business, designing a product and brand concept from scratch and bringing it to market. It’s been a huge learning process but when we saw the final samples and they were exactly what we’d been imagining for over a year it was such a rewarding feeling."

ANY ADVICE FOR BUDDING DESIGNERS?

"My advice for budding designers would be to make sure you have a clear vision, really you need to make your own stamp on the very busy fashion world by creating something that is easily recognisable as designed by you. That’s what we did with the Pastel Sixteen range, we saw a gap in the market, we came along and filled it with colour. We haven’t strayed from that vision, that is who we are and what we do."

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOAFERS IN THREE WORDS? "Colourful, happy and inspirational."

The Pastel Sixteen loafer is available in men’s UK size 6-11 and women’s UK size 3-8, retailing at £145 a pair.

Pastel Sixteen W: www.pastelsixteen.com / E: @pastelsixteen