Meet the People - 25

Nicky Harding-Ifield. Photo John McCombe supplied by DarbyID.

Another in the Series Meet the People – Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things – Christchurch’s Nicky Harding-Ifield has small feet and when it comes to buying shoes, they’ve been the bane of her life. Sick of shopping in the children’s section trying to find something for her little Size 3s and after years of frustration at missing out on fashionable footwear, Nicky has finally found the answer. She’s started her own shoe company – Indigo River, which specialises in gorgeous women’s shoes in petite sizes. “I was 28 before I got my first pair of high heels. I found them in England and I was like a kid let loose in a candy store. By the time I came home to New Zealand eight years later, I had acquired a husband, two children and 30 pairs of shoes.” Back in New Zealand though, the ‘shoes blues’ returned. That’s when Nicky had the bright idea of importing shoes that could be relied upon to fit. She ultimately plans to produce her own line of footwear but in the meantime she’s importing the goodies from Spain and Italy and selling them online at http://www.indigoriver.co.nz/ and via direct-to-the-public-sales once a month. So if you’ve got ‘tiny toes’ too, head along to Chateau on the Park in Christchurch on October 19 for the first sale. To see others in the Meet the People Series click on Meet the People in the label line just below.