Our story begins in 2002 when our Dad and a few of his mates were discussing the serious lack of decent shoes available in Melbourne.
A group of trendy (so they thought), middle-aged (so they wished), well-travelled gents were mostly full of hot air about their abilities to actually do something about the situation. After a bit of prodding, no shortage of ribbing, and a lot of "you'll-never-pull-it-off" from the group, the challenge to bring in a range of stylish and affordable mens shoes was accepted. Thus, Milu was born.
Over the following years, word caught on that there was a new affordable luxury going around Melbourne, and Milu expanded into New South Wales and Queensland.
As the years went by, demand started to grow for a womens range. You asked; we answered. With the complimenting ranges introduced to all stores in 2006, the demand for the product grew yet again and we expanded further.
Come 2009, we turned it up. While the rest of the world was reeling from the effects of the Global Financial Crisis, we saw an opportunity to really promote the fact that luxury was still affordable. New logo, new stores, new designs and most importantly, a new focus: you, second only to our footwear. Milu was transformed and we set ourselves in a different light to the rest of the footwear retailers. We were a boutique identity that we loved and wanted to share. Despite this, we have never lost the "family company" values and mentality. We still employ family and friends and we support the community that has supported us. We are not a multi-national corporation. If you want to speak to the people behind the brand, you can just call our office and we'll always be happy to chat.
Milu is exciting, different and luxurious, yet affordable and available. Enter a Milu store today, and you will see what we mean. We have worked hard at redefining the shopping experience for our clients, and now, more than ever, we are putting in the real hard yards to get a top-quality, fashion-forward and affordable piece of footwear into your lives. Validation has come with support from all angles, and we are particularly proud to have dressed celebrities, both local and international. From Jessica Mauboy, to Rihanna, our humble Milu is being recognised around the world.
To give you a basic idea of how things work, we design all the shoes in Melbourne after various trips to Asia and Europe, seeking inspiration and assessing all the trends. With our designs in-hand, we spend large amounts of time trawling through leather markets and buying fabrics before having the shoes made. A lot of effort goes into every single pair of Milu shoes and there is always a story behind each style.
When you wear Milu, you're not just wearing a generic and mass-produced piece of footwear. You're wearing an image; a unique identity; a story.