GATSBY

I hope she'll be a fool--That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.Silver Twinkletoes

Walk of Shame

Holiday Ball Style Theme of the Night: Black Swan

Ballerina inspired tulle dress with Rose Gold Takens and Rose Gold pearl bow clips.

BEWARE of UNAUTHORIZED WEBSITES selling imitation Hey Lady

Beware of illegitimate online vendors ladies!

http://www.weddingworthy.com is not an authorized dealer with authentic Hey Lady shoes.

You can see a list of reputable boutiques on www.shopheylady.com.

Thank you!

What an Inspiration and model human spirit

What an inspiration and model human spirit

One of the MOST AMAZING weddings we've ever seen. Wish we could have been there!!!

One of the most amazing weddings

 we've ever seen.  Pure sparkly FUN and FESTIVE.  If you haven't experienced a N'awlins parade marching with your wedding guests too we highly recommend it.
Check this New Orleans New Years Wedding out.

To be or not to be

Hey Lady mantras stolen from @natala

Why did you name it Hey Lady? Why Mountain View? What is your design process? What can we expect from you in the future?

All the Questions you ever wanted to ask...

The Ultimate Strappy 2014- metallic braided leather and beaded silk

BEHIND THE SCENES Q&A WITHWWD/FOOTWEAR NEWS

BACKGROUND/SCHOOL

We both at the last minute decided on UCLA over CAL and coveredboth North/Liberal and South/Sciences campus. No, we did not discuss it witheach other beforehand and yes, our Asian parents were upset. 

Emily: pre-med Biology/English major with a Spanish minor

Jessica: UCLA Mass Communications Major with a specialization inbusiness

PREVIOUS WORKBEFORE HEY LADY

Em: Branding/PR/Marketing/Charity Partnerships for Retail RealEstate

J: PR/Marketing/Intl Account Manager for Chip & Pepper andPR/Marketing for Paige Premium Denim.  Myfirst stint during college was assisting platinum wedding events but my firstever job during high school was at Macy’s shoes at $8/hour.

We started Hey Lady during the Great Recession with zeroindustry experience/connections and with only personal savings. 

WHY YOUDECIDED ON FOOTWEAR DESIGN

Growing up, we never intended to be designers of anything.  We don’t even call ourselves designers, weconsider ourselves entrepreneurs, rebels with a cause. 

Footwear spontaneously combusted out of a few very grimace-ymoments- one typical Vegas night, one annulled wedding, a shoe graveyard pileat a wedding- and one rare twin ESP moment that we took as a sign from shoeheaven. 

As former marathoners and dancing queens, and as tired childrenof ‘80s style, we felt there was a black hole for both pretty and painless. 

WHEN DID YOULAUNCH

We marinated our idea for one week before Emily quit her job andJessica moved from LA and took a year to research/develop and “Frankenstein”our perfect fit.  Emily’s kinesiology andanatomy classes came in handy, as well as focus groups, and weekly salsadances.  We officially launched in Spring2009 but we unofficially launched in Fall 2008 just so we could have aparty. 

HEY LADY INFO

SIZE OFTEAM 

3.5 employees, including us 2

1 consultant “dad” Dana Fried of Nasty Gal

1 dog mascot

WHERE THESHOES ARE MANUFACTURED

China

PRICE POINT RANGE

Retail $168-$368

FAVORITEMATERIALS TO WORK WITH

Right now-Buttery leathers and sparkly neutrals, filigreeornamentation/art deco inspired pieces, texture texture texture

DESIGNAESTHETIC

Classics with a flirty twist

One-of-a-kind

Heirloom Quality

Unexpected but Wear-again-able

DESIGNINSPIRATION

Shoes with Sparkly Personalities

We start with words that describe different personalities

Every shoe is inspired from a historical icon, a modern dayingénue, and one of our colorful friends. It has to pass the test of who would wear it back then, now, and aroundus. 

For example

At Tiffany’s

Completely original, Whimsical, Flirty/Colorful, Effortless Chic

Past:  Audrey Hepburn inBreakfast At Tiffany’s

Present: New Girl Zooey Deschanel

Real Life: our quirky and sophisticated repurposed-jewelrydesigner friend Susan

Luck Be A Lady

Ladylike from the front, but a vixen behind closed doors.  A quiet strength with vintage keyhole infront, and romantic, ethereal and overtly feminine from the back. 

Past: Frank Sinatra’s Luck Be a Lady/Rat Pack

Present: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Real Life: our magnetic hostess-with-the-mostest entrepreneurfriend Hazel Grace.

Twinkletoes

Ultra feminine, luxe, sophisticated, man-eater.

Past: Elizabeth Taylor in Life

Present: Christina Hendricks in Mad Men

Real Life: our bootylicious, martini-swizzling lawyer friendKira

TARGETCUSTOMER

Hey Ladies are timeless fashionistas with effortless style andsparkly personalities. They stand out, own their individuality, and have theirown unique style dialogue. Wallflowers need not apply.  They are ageless, from your prom queenteenager to your hip grandma.  They areunforgettable. 

WHATS THEBIGGEST CHALLENGE WHEN IT COMES TO HEY LADY

Growing pains, hiring the right people, and anything to do withChina.  This year was the mostchallenging with Jessica in Hong Kong for almost a year for chemo treatmentswhile Emily had to hold down the fort.  ButJessica is alive and Emily survived yay.

HOW DO YOUWORK TOGETHER AS SISTERS- WHAT ROLE DOES EACH OF YOU PLAY, AND DO YOU GET ALONGWELL AT WORK

One of our twin life mottos is “Divide and conquer”.  This applies both to parties and daily work.  Mostly we only see each other when we carpooland meet for dinner.  Even at the officewe tend to be in different rooms, that’s probably why we get along 50% of thetime. 

Emily has final say on business matters, Jessica oncreative.  But the creative is contingenton business mostly in the end right?  SoEmily is probably the boss. 

WHAT HAS BEENYOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT RUNNING THE COMPANY

1.      Meeting brides and theirmoms/dads/grandmas/sisters/bridesmaids/fiancées and hearing their stories.  We genuinely get very excited for themeventhough we aren’t invited to their weddings.

2.      Seeing sketches and visions come to life.  It’s like magic.

3.      Never doing the same thing every day and bringing our dogto work.

GROWTH OF COMPANY

The first three years we were doubling every year and since thenit’s been a steady increase.

TRUNK SHOWS

Traveling trunk shows have been an innovative way for boutiquesto showcase all our styles in various locations.  No other shoe brands offer that but weunderstand people prefer to see things in person and it gives boutiques theopportunity to test out different styles that may resonate more with theirclients.

It just left Texas and is now in Costa Mesa, CA.

IS SOCIALMEDIA IMPORTANT

Very.  We do notadvertise, pay for press, nor solicit social media followers at all.  We’ve grown PURELY on word of mouth.

Social Media allows us to speak directly to our consumer, and welisten to them.  They are the reason wehave a Wedgie (little wedge) and ballet flat. We have done everything untraditionally from a fashion industrystandpoint, bypassing the whole sales reps/showroom route to launch, and insteadbuilt a direct following online and grew from there.

OVERALL GOALSFOR THE BRAND GOING FORWARD

-Streamline internal infrastructure/build team to support abroader global audience and finding the right team/distributors to build out.

-Partnering with like-minded and out of the box outlets (retailand personal projects)

-Expanding beyond weddings into being more of a one-of-kindstyle resource

-A book on How to Start a Business, Beat Stage 4 Cancer, andDate like a Man. 

-We’d love to start a foundation or program to support youngladies to feel pretty inside and out and strive for their dreams.  We’re discussing a lot of possibilities andare in the process of adding a Giving tab to our website. 

SPECIFICPLANS GOING INTO SPRING 14 AND BEYOND/NEW THINGS YOU’RE WORKING ON NOW

-Designing red carpet One-of-a-kind capsule collections withmore color/texture/details.

-Expanding with more Basics-with-a-twist for every day wear (forourselves really)

-A special 5 year Bday Anniversary commemorative shoebox/jewelry box

-Collaborating more with other talents/creatives such as an upand coming musician for a vintage inspired men’s shoe and our favorite dressdesigner for a modern retro dress

-Bringing more one-of-a-kind accessories and finds to ourwebsite, discovering indie brands

-We will be the national shoe sponsor for the charity Wish Upona Wedding starting in January 2014, proving shoes across the country to couplesin need/terminally ill.  This has been inthe works since before Jessica’s diagnosis but now of course it’s even moremeaningful.   

WHAT TOEXPECT FOR NEW STYLES

Our next collection will be with less technical limitations andmore creative license since we are working one on one with a manufacturer.   It will be more personal and we will betaking it up a couple edgy notches but most importantly be very wearable.  Every collection will be worked on as if itwas the last collection ever. 

 

Think Luminescent, Swagger, Oscars, Effortless Chic

-Metallic heaven- Golds, Silvers, Pewters

-Nudes & Nekkids

-Pops of Color and Texture

For example one shoe next year-

The Ultimate Strappy

Past: Greek Goddess

Present: California girl next door meets NY Jennifer Aniston

DO YOU WANTTO HAVE YOUR OWN RETAIL STORE?

Right now probably not, but we do love meeting our girls somaybe down the line. 

ARE THERE ANYOTHER FOOTWEAR DESIGNERS YOU ADMIRE?

We are boot girls and loving all kinds but Frye does a greatlong-lasting riding boot.  As fordesigners, Gwen Stefani’s LAMB has a unique voice that really shows herpersonality. 

 Fun questions for each of you

-Who is yourNo. 1 style icon (can be from any era) and why?

Em: Icon #1 Coco Chanel, she went against the grain and made simpleclassic.  Modern day would be RachelBilson for put together things in unexpected, effortless ways.  

J:  I can’t choose.  The 3 Kates. The small boob trifecta Kate Moss/Kate Bosworth/Kate Hudson with aclassic Audrey Hepburn silhouette.   Edgy but refined, they are the first to takeinnovative risks but aren’t over the top, and they dress appropriately and knowtheir bodies. 

-Describeyour everyday style:

Em: Sandra Bullock in the Blindside meets J. Lo meets JenniferAniston

J: The Kates/Angelina Jolie

What is themost stylish city in the world and why?

Em:  I loved Monaco.  Very chic and put together.  Not one Birkenstock.

J:  We are from SiliconValley, home of the hoodie and casual M-F.

J:  For me, definitely NotHong Kong where anything goes.  New York,I just walked a block to get a pizza and everybody was straight out of asartorial dream.

Favoritewedding dress designer and why?

Em & J:  FancyNY!  They are the epitome of timelesschic.  We just saw a preview of Gregory’slatest and greatest and had a field day playing dress up. 

Estimate ofthe number of weddings you've attended in your lifetime so far:

Em & J:  Average about7 a year sine we were 25 so 49 so far. It’ll probably peter out in the next few years as we age?

Mostover-the-top bridal look you have seen:

Em:  The straight fromDisney princess look as in real Ariel and Cinderella wigs.

J:  Camo everything includingtuxes for a red-neck wedding.  It’sactually quite prevalent in pockets of America…

Favorite filmand why:

Em:  Coco Before Chanelwas inspirational, seeing where she came from nothing with no connections andwhat she built.  Any underdog sportsmovies like Remember the Titans and We are Marshall.

J:  Yes, Man with JimCarrey has become our religion.

Em: We are like these movies, total underdogs that just keepgoing.

J:  Totally.  And sometimes in the morning and late eveningwe look like Jim Carrey. 

Also, howdid you choose the name Hey Lady?

We decided on the name impulsively over a 5 mile run. 

We knew we didn’t want to name it after ourselves and our 80’sTop 10 babynames, nor did we want to be traditionally “bridal-y”.  We ran past some workers and somebody waslike “Hey ladies, nice legs!”  Ourofficial name is actually Hey Lady followed by a catcall whistle mp3.   We also like the ladylike “Lady” juxtaposedwith a sassy minx-y confidence.   

And why didyou choose Mountain View for your location? Thanks!!

We grew up in Silicon Valley (Los Altos) and have witnessed thegrowth of so many inspirational tech companies that have changed life as weknow it (we remember when pagers were cool). Google/Apple/Nasa are all within a few miles of us and we love thestartup buzz, people are just on a different wavelength here, it’s less aboutwhat’s trendy and more about impact.  Our parents are also entrepreneurial and we have gradually taken overtheir warehouse. 

You andEmily are 32 years old

OMGawd

Youofficially launched Hey Lady in 2009

Spring 2009

Hey Ladyprice range (retail) is $168 to $368

YES

Hey Lady isin about 20 specialty boutiques in the U.S., Canada and Ireland

YES

Youre-commerce site has customers from more than 27 countries

Now it’s 28

You openedyour own showroom in 2012

March 2012.  We call it aDesign Studio, our tiny creation cave. 

Goals fornext year are streamlining infrastructure, red carpet/one-of-a-kindcapsule, neutrals-with-a-twist daytime collection, collaborations with men'slabel and women's wedding gown label, partnering with like-mindedoutlets/retailers

You areserving as 2014 shoe sponsor for Wish Upon a Wedding 

Will debut as national shoe sponsor in January 2014

The abovemission has even more meaning for you now, given that you were diagnosed withnasopharynx cancer last year

J:  I was both the worstand best case my doc has ever seen. Worst “upon presentation” and best “unprecedented”comeback, just call me miracle baby.  Whenyou are told to start thinking about what you want to do with your last days,and you are given a second chance, you really making these days count.

 

Don’t be surprised if we go all “James Franco” on you and dip our feet in books/philanthropy/mentorship/stand-up all whilebringing you the best “as if our last” collections ever ;)  Go big or go home.

You havemore treatment ahead but you are feeling good and you're back at work! =)   

I just landed on the mainland and slowly but surely getting backin the groove and am MOST excited to be working on new sketches.  My tough boss-twin Emily and me are like cancer-schmancerchemo-schmemo and we’re excited to hit the ground running.  

You want towrite a book called How to Start a Business, Beat Stage Four Cancer and DateLike a Man"

We’retwerking on it!

For more on J's whooping of Stage 4 schmancerpant's fatass click http://www.toughladieskicksass.blogspot.hk 

For more on Hey Lady click About Us In A Nutshell

Women's Wear Daily/Footwear News: Hey Lady is ONE TO WATCH

Women's Wear Daily, aka the premiere "fashion industry bible" has chosen Hey Lady as "One to Watch". 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First, we'd like to thank the Academy...;)

Wedding GIFS

Upgrade from Wedding pics to GIFS.  We are one step closer to our dream of a Harry Potter world.  Brilliant work Jeffrey Lewis Bennett

lar

Monsters Inc

Personalize a door to greet your reception guests using Etsy, Ebay, Michaels, and a printer.  DIY bride Loni put it all together herself. 

Gents

Windsor knots, tie clips, pocket square- check. 

Music Video Inspiration

We LOVE everything about this Mumford & Sons video featuring Perfect Men (Silly Comedians AND they pretend play the guitar and sing?!? ;)
We're thinking gather your groomsmen and/or bridesmaids and get together a tribute music video for your SO to play on your wedding day. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcd24NL9ZJ4&sns=em

20's Inspired Bday Party

This decade is by far one of our biggest influences and these flappers hit the mark at Julianne Hough's bday party.

Maria Menounos' hot pic (in our black Luck Be A Lady) and loving Nina Dobrev's fringe.

Luck be some Ladies tonight!

LadyLike LadyLove

Despite any backlash, we stand up for <3.  

This message brought to you by TWOTUS Emily and Jessica. 

Click LadyLikeLadyLove for 24 hours of an extra 50% off 

and a special Equally Wed message from the twins.  

Inspiration on the road: Vintage Bounty Hunting

FULL insole of 4mm shock-absorbing memory foam used in running shoes

#justchecking #runawaybrides

*shock absorbing to protect against impact
*breathable to keep you dry and cool
*maintains cushioning for maximum performance
*lightweight and flexible for continuous comfort

Huffington Post & Hey Lady: RING ENVY It's not the size that matters...

What to do when you hate your ring...

Huffington Post & Hey Lady: Ring Envy

Attn: Entrepreneurs! PR edition

One of the hardest things we've ever done was making our dream of vintage inspired with modern comfort party shoes come to life.
We started with zero experience in the shoe industry, zero connections, and only our personal savings. But we had a lot of blood, sweat, and tears and never gave up. For YEARS we did everything ourselves, from pulling and packaging every single pair and hand-writing every Thank you note (we still love to do this!). And when we could, one of the things that helped us most was doing our own PR. Check out the book PR You! On amazon today!

DIY Guide to Public Relations

For current Hey Lady PR and product placement inquiries contact Kate@CLDstylehouse.com
For the Leung Twins and media/fashion show collaborations contact pr@shopheylady.com

Sibling Day- Cheech & Chubbs. Polka dot never goes out of style.

Poll Results for Stylish and Comfortable Wedding shoes

...and it's Hey Lady by more than double!  Yay weddingbee brides!!  

These stories we hear from mums and brides just make our day <3

Ke$ha and the Presidential Inaugural Red Carpet

Little Bow Peep in Gold for the patriotic and rockstar win