Shoes that Go Around the World

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.