A chance conversation in the nursery playground has led to the launch of a business passionate about addressing the problems of poorly designed ‘first’ shoes for children.

Rebecca Kelley and Duncan Robertson, the founders of Brightland in London, decided to disrupt the traditional marketplace by creating their own range of footwear that put kids’ feet first.

A three-year labour of love saw the duo team up with biomechanical podiatrist Mick Habgood and consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Tofunmi to develop the science, before a specialist manufacturing partner helped them bring the vision to reality with the launch of RISE Pre-Walker (6 months to 2 years) and WANDER First Walker (9 month to 3 years) shoes.

Backed by business and accounting advice from DJH in Leeds, the fledgling business has successfully achieved early Direct to Consumer (D2C) sales and significant international exposure in The Times newspaper and the esteemed Dezeen design magazine.

It is now turning its attention to scaling-up with another fundraising round expected, following a successful earlier raise of £235,00 supported by the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS).

“The challenge was significant. Children's feet, in infant and toddler years, are flat and mostly cartilage, arches haven’t yet formed, and balance and stability are being learnt,” explained Rebecca, who combines running Brightland with a role at The Woolmark Company.

“Creating shoes that support natural development, whilst using over 90% natural and bio-based materials, required solving problems no one had tackled before and that’s what Duncan and I have done since starting the company.”

“Our RISE and WANDER shoes have received excellent feedback and we’ve seen encouraging early sales. Being D2C, there’s a lot of work to do in building the brand and the community and that will see us move from ‘go-to-market’ phase to ‘early growth’.”

Brightland’s journey began to gather pace when it was introduced to Claire Howarth and Melanda Abbott at DJH’s office in Leeds.

Being able to access external consultancy helped the founders realise they needed more than just accounting services, but also assistance with producing a clear roadmap for sustainable growth.

The professional services specialist conducted a thorough review of the initial company set-up, bringing in different DJH experts to set out clear actions and structuring an investment bid that successfully raised £220,000.

There was also assistance with modernising financial systems (supporting the migration from Sage to Xero), and maximising available tax reliefs, including reclaiming VAT on spend to date.

Tom Whitworth, who heads up the R&D team at DJH, went on to add: “Rebecca and Duncan are pioneering shoe innovation where it is needed most, yet hadn’t explored R&D tax credits.

“We quickly identified all qualifying activities, from concept through to initial manufacturing, providing corporation tax savings of around 15% for every £1 of expenditure. Keeping pace with evolving HMRC guidance has also been important, ensuring they remain compliant with the scheme, whilst supporting them to produce and have access to detailed technical narratives to demonstrate their material innovation and biomechanical design.

“Every year we've watched this business grow and the technology develop, from initial prototypes to a fully engineered range that genuinely changes what's possible in children's footwear."

DJH, which employs 800 people, across nineteen offices in the UK and Ireland, works extensively with owner-managed and fast growth companies looking for more than just accounting services.

Its personal approach helps firms to scale by giving them access to corporate finance, HR, IT and succession planning teams.

Duncan, who has more than 20 years’ experience working in fast moving consumer goods with Unilever, concluded: “When you're trying to change how an entire industry thinks about children's footwear, the last thing you need is to worry about your accounts, your tax position, or whether you're correctly claiming all the reliefs you're entitled to.

“You need partners who believe in your vision. Partners who understand your challenges. Partners who are in it for the long term. That’s exactly what we’ve found in Claire, Melanda, Tom and the DJH team.”

Brightland still has more than £100,000 of SEIS provision remaining for interested investors, with future funding set to be used in marketing activities and exploring the possibility of shoes for schoolchildren.

For further information, please visit www.brightland.cc or www.djh.co.uk