Shoes that Go Around the World
How Valentina Bezuhanova, Sabina Gyosheva and Denitsa Bumbarova had no experience in shoemaking but created a prestigious brand

Denitsa, Sabina and Valentina
Снимка: By FAR
There is always a way, and even the lack of experience is not a barrier, as long as you have the vision how to make that unique market combination of knowledge, skills and circumstances that will allow you to develop a best selling product. This is what indicates the successful business start of the three young ladies Valentina Bezuhanova, Sabina Giosheva and Denitsa Bumbarova, who created the By FAR brand. They are connected by family ties, welded together by friendship, and now, by a joint business venture.
Family Network
Valentina Bezuhanova and Sabina Giosheva are twins, and Denitsa Bumbarova is their friend and relative. They are also connected through their husbands, two of them being brothers. Denitsa has been living in Sydney for several years, while Valentina and Sabina are mainly in Bulgaria, but travel a lot. The idea for this new business was born during a visit in Australia. The first letter of their boyfriends' names - Filip, Alek and Roman - gave the name of the women's shoe brand - By FAR.
Tradition Matters
At first, they decided to export Bulgarian shoes, but couldn’t
find anything appropriate. That’s why they chose to invest in the development
of a brand in the affordable luxury segment. They started their
business in 2016, being certain that Bulgaria is the perfect place for such a
production due to the good traditions in shoemaking. They have chosen Bulgaria
not just because of the possibility to lower the costs, but aslo to make use of
the good quality that is right under our noses, while pulling the strings of
the production process. All three of them had no
experience in designing and production of shoes. But they told themselves
there was no way to know what could happen, if they didn’t try. They realized that the most importing thing for
establishing the brand was to find the right partners that could compensate for
their lack of know-how. They started working with the company “Ingiliz - 2009”
in Peshtera, where people are well experienced in making shoes.
Three in One
All three of them put a lot of energy in this project and
the fact that they were so close to each other gave an even greater power to the undertaking. Valentina
Bezuhanova has a degree in Management and Madia from England and Switzerland,
Sabina Gyosheva - in Marketing from England, and Denitsa Bumbarova - in
Art History from New Bulgarian University. Each one of them has found her place
in the chain from the production to the market and has focused on a certain
aspect of the company's development. Sabina is good
at managing the financial flows, Denitsa is the creative director and is
responsible for the artistic vision, and Valentina is dealing with the
marketing and PR.
Market Niche
Shoes
are produced around the world by many manufacturers. The fashion industry is
overwhelmed and that is why, right from the beginning, the founders of By FAR
were well aware that they had to employ a different aproach in order to stand
out in the huge sea of offers. They knew that what is
bought is not so much the shoes themselves, but the way of life and the image
of the woman that the brand embodies. Their product is not intended for the
general public, it has specific
aesthetics and has to find its right place on the market. The brand was
positioned as an affordable luxury, because the shoes are produced from leather
scraps, gathered from prestigious Italian factories. This eco-friendly approach
towards production provides the main added value to the
brand. So, By FAR shoes have modern design, but also a
vintage feeling with care for the environment.
The Secret of the Rise
"Our strength is in finding the
balance between design, luxury and fashion trends", the entrepreneurial
ladies assure us. They listen to their clients, the press, the buyers and the
so called "influencers", and addapt their products and aproaches for
building the brand image accordingly. They don't have the ambition to be in a constant
race
with fashion trends, but rather aim to set a new one. They already have a
recognizable image and style and their desire for development prevents them
from being overwhelmed by the incessant fashion
dynamics and unstable market trends. That is why they have an approach to both
production and the market.
The rapid rise of By FAR was noticed by Endeavor
and the three founders of the company became part of the global entrepreneurial
network. This new stroke in the story of their
success will surely help for an even faster and more sustainable growth.