Our Journey: The Story of Twinkle Toes and TT Kids
As the founder of our business, I would like to introduce ourselves, and share how the story of TT Kids began — with our retail shop, “Twinkle Toes.”
Early Career and Inspiration
I studied Chemical Engineering and specialized in pharmaceuticals. I worked across various projects, establishing lines for major pharmaceutical companies in Eastern Europe and the USSR at the time. These were long hours, however, the satisfaction and enjoyment it brought was immeasurable. I had found my passion.
One project in particular moved me deeply. I was assigned to work in Ukraine, on a project to support children who had been exposed to bombings. They knew their lives were short and painful. They needed comfort — even if it was just a little — in their final days. My job was to register medical drugs and provide them with treatment to help them go through difficulties in their life. While we were working in Ukraine, as a team I got involved in taking some of these children to experience some activities to enhance their life and put a smile on their faces. It was a small effort to offer them comfort during the short time they had left.
Over a few months, we organized many fun activities for the children, before leaving it in the capable hands of their carers to continue with.
A Turning Point
This experience had a lasting impact on me. Doing something meaningful, something good for our world, was fulfilling and established a meaningful layer of purpose to my vision: to provide comfort to all children, even if simply through well-fitting shoes.
With this in mind, after having my first son, Aidan, I decided to form my own company serving children. I brought into my business the wealth of experience I’d gained on the physiological side of my profession to care for and look after children’s feet.
The Birth of “Twinkle Toes”
Established in 1997, we opened our first shop in Sheffield in 1999, focussing on assessing children’s feet from the day they started walking, typically around 18 months. We examined conditions such as:
- Trapezees
- Dropped arch
- Walking on tiptoes
To this day, when we believe it advisable, we use our best judgement, experience, and knowledge to suggest to our customers that a specialist referral may be needed, to help address any suspected problems early. Otherwise, we simply look after your little one’s feet during their crucial time of development, making sure their feet form and grow correctly with the right footwear. We ensure shoes provide the right support for each individual, as no child’s feet are the same, and are properly fitted.
We work hard to help young parents understand the importance of well-fitting shoes.
A Legacy Built on Care
For almost three decades, I have loved establishing our business in Sheffield that is trusted by families, and serving the surrounding areas.
Over the years, the children’s footwear industry has evolved and changed. More and more fashion brands entered the market, often shifting away from specialist recommendations. After many discussions with my son — who shares my passion for providing well-fitting shoes — we decided to invest in building our own brand: TT Kids.
The Launch of TT Kids
This wasn’t a difficult decision for me. I knew all of the elements that made a quality, fitted shoe; the characteristics of children’s feet, and, the need for quality materials and everyday comfort. I combined my technical expertise with retail knowledge, and in 2020, TT Kids was born.
Working with our factories was straightforward for me thanks to my engineering background. I understood:
- Manufacturing
- Quality checks
- Material quality
- Sustainability in production
- Fairtrade, and more
Where We Are Today
Today, our brand has reached notable recognition, and has been nominated in multiple categories for the Draper Footwear Awards for two consecutive years. TT Kids is now a well-established and trusted name in the children’s footwear industry across the UK and Ireland, and we couldn’t be more proud.