Q&A With Dan Sullivan
April 2021
We gave you the opportunity to ask Irregular Choice owner, Dan Sullivan ANY question and we were inundated with nearly 200 responses from fans, eager to find out the inner workings of the man behind the brand.
With topics ranging from his favourite chocolate bar, to collaboration requests, design questions to pricing; no stone has been left unturned.
We have collated all of the questions and over the next few weeks will post as many answers as possible. We hope you enjoy finding out more about us!
Q: I have noticed the prices of shoes and stuff have gone up recently can you explain why this is? - Lara Fry
A: Thank you for the question relating to rising prices.
It seems that prices are rising on pretty much everything these days. From household items such as food, utility bills, fuel and travel you would be hard pressed to find anyone that has not been affected by price rises to one degree or another. The global footwear industry is no different to other consumer sectors and has not been able to withstand the rise in prices of raw materials, increased labour costs & most significantly the large fluctuations in exchange rates.
‘What is Irregular Choice doing to overcome these worldwide challenges’, you might ask .. well to be honest, there is not an awful lot we can do about external influences, like global inflation and interest rates, we’ll leave that to the politicians to sort out! However, the margin (the amount we make on each shoe) has not risen in many years; in fact in many cases, we have had to reduce our margins to keep certain products competitive.
Plus, our profits are always reinvested in our designs and so we are always striving to offer the best value for money. We are absolutely passionate about keeping you, our customers in our minds, in fact, we think about you a lot! That might sound a bit weird, but we want to continue to do what we do best, and that is to continue to develop the most exciting, ground breaking designs.
Q: Would you consider opening a store(s) in Scotland? - Heather Maria Johnston
A: This is definitely something I am hoping for in 2018. I would have liked to open a new store in Scotland this year, but we haven't found the correct site yet. We are still looking, so watch this space!
Q: I personally would love to see an Irregular Choice Harry Potter collection. I know you have a contract with Disney releasing various designs for them but could this be a possibility xx - Alisha Rimell
A: Yes, this is definitely one that is on the radar at some point. I am hoping to keep doing collaborations for some time to come. So hopefully we will at some point be able to get to do something with Harry Potter.
Q: I loved the fact that you bought out a children's line but they are a bit girly for my 2 young nephews. Their mum and auntie both love Irregular Choice and would love to introduce them to these brilliant shoes. Would you consider doing a boys collection? - Heather Reeves
A: We are bringing out more and more boys shoes as our children's collection grows. The first launch was focused more towards girls but as we test the market and our factories capabilities, we can start developing more styles. Our factories always need minimum order quantities, therefore, we have to be confident that we can reach these numbers before we go into production. So it can sometimes take a while to build a new range.
Q: When Dan was a little boy what did he want to be when he grew up?- Daniel James
A: I remember I really wanted to be 'Golderak' for years as a kid. I lived in France for many years and it was my favourite TV programme, I wanted to shoot off and fight the bad guys. As I got older I wanted to be a singer, but if you ever heard me sing then you would know that dream was even more unlikely than being Golderak!
Q: I was on a flight to Milan about 15 years ago and noticed a girl with a lovely pair of purple pixie boots on. I asked her where she got them from and she said my boyfriend made them. Her boyfriend was Dan! So Dan can you make me a pair too!!??? Still think about those purple boots!!- Joanne Robson
A: I know the shoes and the girl you are talking about. Fortunately, I still have the girl, but sadly not the shoes. I do love the boots you saw on my wife Olivia, they were the ones with all the gathers down the front and the really long pointed toe. I think they were from either my second or third ever collection. I wish I still had a pair as they would be a great shoe to bring back.
Q: I would like to know if Dan has ever had an idea that was physically impossible to make into a shoe and if so what was it? - Helen Bonser
A: There is one specific design, which has eluded me and I haven't yet been able to do it. But I can't say what it is, as I don't want to see someone else doing it before I get a chance. I'll let you know if I ever manage to make it, as I am still trying.
Q: What is his favourite chocolate brand, and which bar? -Linsey S Dryden
It has to be Cadbury because milk chocolate is my weakness. But I have to say that I am a fan of Cadbury pre-2010 before they sold out and changed the taste. But don't get me started on that, as I would be at the forefront of any petition to go back to the old recipe and I can easily get on my soapbox about it!