Founded in 2015 by Tommy Mallet and Evren Ozka, Mallet London is a London luxury fashion label known for its premium footwear, combining slick designs with an urban aesthetic. We met up with Founder Evren Ozka to find out more about him and the brand…
So Evren, tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I grew up in East London and my background is in fashion manufacturing, my family run a production company to this day so when we had the chance to start the Mallet London brand, it was the perfect opportunity for me to launch a business in the footwear industry.
What’s it like being a founder of such a big brand like Mallet London?
It’s incredible really to see how far the brand has come. From really humble beginnings, we’ve managed to create a brand and business that is known and worn by people all across the world. I still get the same buzz when I see people wearing our shoes.
Speaking of Mallet London, what key things have you learned about running the business since you started?
From my side, the main thing is knowing what people want and need. The brand has become big by giving people what they want – a luxury product at an accessible price point and we’ve really tried to keep this unique selling point, so we’re never out of touch with our consumer.
Where are you based?
I am based in London and Dubai – I spend a lot of time in both parts of the world. We have a huge business in the United Arab Emirates, so being on the ground there really helps us too. London is my home though and I love being in the office with the team every day.
Is it fair to say that the fashion industry looks like from the outside it moves fast and slow? It seems like it’s constantly changing but also stays the same in a lot of ways?
It’s an interesting point, the fashion industry always seems to come full circle! You can see it with some of the recent sneaker trends, shoes that you thought had died have come back and are at the top of the wishlists around the world. It’s an incredibly fast paced industry but the roots of it remain the same. There is no room for complacency so you have to keep moving, it fits my personality perfectly.
We saw that you broke the World Record for your run across the United Arab Emirates – can you tell us a bit more about this?
I always want to challenge myself, whether that’s in business or in my personal life. I decided to give the world record a go of being the fastest person to run across the whole of the UAE (630 KM) and thankfully we did it! It was an incredibly wild ride, I had to dig deep and become a stronger person in the process, and that is something I’ll have with me for the rest of my life. There’s a documentary on my YouTube channel that you can watch on it.
What plans do Mallet have for the rest of 2024? Any exciting collaborations?
We do have some very exciting collaborations and plans for 2024! However, I can’t speak any more about them, just yet. It’s a very exciting time for us as a brand and we have a mega second half of 2024 to come.
What excites you about the future of the brand?
I think the team we have around us, so many talented individuals working together to reach our collective goals. We have recruited some great new talent as well as a few OG’s that have been with us from the beginning and know the brand inside-out. The brand has an extremely bright future and I can’t wait to see it unfold.
Check out their latest collection here.
