Style this way treads

With the Breakfast TV host in women’s shoes and nailpolish, this was an unusual start to my day. StyleTread launched into the New Zealand market with a sumptious breakfast at Mollies Hotel bringing the Australian online store here…

With the Breakfast TV host in women’s shoes and nailpolish, this was an unusual start to my day.

He broadcast live from the boutique hotel in St Mary’s Bay Auckland this morning with a different twist – in high heels – showcasing the latest trends in footwear.

The occasion was the arrival of StyleTread, an online footwear shop which launched into the New Zealand market with a sumptious breakfast at Mollies Hotel for forty guests.

Since launching in 2010 it has grown from strength to strength, now employing 80 at the HQ in Homebush Sydney with a giant shoe warehouse with 65,000 pairs of shoes!

Thread loves that they will deliver free of charge to NZ (until recently this cost $35) and – get this – overnight. So if you order shoes before 3pm they’ll be sourced from the Sydney warehouse, put on a DHL truck to the airport for the 10pm flight to New Zealand, and sent out to you early the next morning. That’s faster than ordering something from a local mall!

Another great feature is the 365-day free returns policy. Apparently, Mark of Styletread said, some customers order ten or twenty pairs of shoes, have a trying-on party with their friends, and send back any they don’t want. They estimate 25% of purchases are returned, so 75% are kept – which is very good considering how many I try on in a shoe shop before choosing a pair.

They are always looking to expand their range, and their New Zealand labels sold on the site. The site focus is on customer service and they are very open to listening to what their customers want. They noticed they were selling ten to fifteen pairs a day to New Zealand, so they said, let’s service our NZ customers better.

Below: Gemma Young with Blaire McAllister

Below: Megan Robinson of Thread with fashion stylist Lulu Wilcox.

The Styletread team.

Music to your eyes: shoes cover the piano in the dining room at Mollies.

Sarah from Styletread wears dress by Asos, shoes by Gorman from Styletread.

Below: Shoes became the centrepiece on the table settings at breakfast. Guests L-R Lulu Wilcox, Matt from Styletread, Emma Gleason of Ragpony, Katherine Lowe of Katherineisawesome.

Below: the Styletread site now has a .co.nz suffix in its URL for our local market.

Below: Sarah and Tania Peck from Styletread.

Kath and Julia of Kathryn Wilson shoes – stocked online on Styletread – both wear Juliette Hogan.

The Breakfast TV host gamely wore three pairs of women’s shoes in silver high heels and florals and had his toenails painted bright red for the fun live-to-air.

Treats on the mantelpiece: not stockings at Christmas, but shoes, everyday of the year. It just feels like Christmas.

Words and photos, Megan Robinson
10 May 2012