THE SHOES I COULDN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT.
FROM THE DANCE FLOOR TO EVERYWHERE ELSE.
I first discovered TAYGRA through dance and started selling them through my previous business, Move Me Dancewear.
But somewhere along the way, I realised I was wearing mine far more outside of dancing than I ever was on the dance floor. They were lightweight, ridiculously flexible, comfortable in a completely different way - and they went with pretty much everything I wore.
TAYGRAs were already loved by dancers around the world. I just kept thinking: why should dancers get to have all the fun?
I could see a much bigger life for them. And that idea wouldn't leave me alone.
TRUSTING MY INSTINCT
I’d actually had the idea for The Sole Co long before I launched it.
I wanted to take TAYGRA out from under the dancewear umbrella and give the shoes their own space - somewhere they could be discovered by people who might never set foot on a dance floor.
I was advised to keep everything together under Move Me Dancewear, so for a while, I did. But the idea never really went away.
Eventually, I decided to trust my own instinct and do it anyway.
There was just one small complication: my family and I were about to move from Australia to Canada.
BUILDING THE SOLE CO BETWEEN BOXES.
Once I’d decided to do it, I was all in. The only problem was that my husband and I were also packing up our life in Australia and moving to Canada with our two kids.
Somewhere amongst the packing, planning and moving countries, I was building the website and getting ready to launch.
Then, about two weeks before launch, I found out I couldn’t use the business name I’d been building everything around. So, at possibly the least convenient time imaginable, I had to come up with a new one.
The Sole Co was born.
I launched one month after we arrived in Canada, while we were still living in temporary accommodation and figuring out our new life.
Looking back, the timing was slightly unhinged. But I’m very glad I did it.
HANDMADE IN BRAZIL SINCE 1989.
TAYGRA started in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1989, with a small handcrafted production in a backyard. More than 35 years later, the shoes are still made in Brazil, with around 70% of the production done by hand.
That human way of making things is a big part of what makes TAYGRA different. The brand works with skilled local makers, uses water-based glues and maintains its production in Brazil rather than moving manufacturing offshore.
Sustainability is part of the story too, with recycled and alternative materials used across the wider TAYGRA range and a long-running commitment to reducing waste and environmental impact.
They’re not mass-produced sneakers pretending to have a story. There’s a real one behind them.
GOOD SHOES, BRIGHTER DAYS.
A year on, the idea behind The Sole Co is still pretty simple: get TAYGRAs onto more feet.
Not just dancers. People walking to work, travelling, chasing kids, heading out for dinner, dancing when the mood strikes - people living actual lives.
I want The Sole Co to be the place you come when you want shoes that feel ridiculously good, look a little different and don't take themselves too seriously.
Because good shoes should be worn. A lot.
