Irregular Choice

Irregular Choice is a British fashion brand founded in Brighton in 1999 by designer Dan Sullivan. The label built its identity around footwear that deliberately rejects conventional high-street styling, using vivid colours, theatrical ornamentation, unusual materials, printed surfaces and sculptural heels. Its designs are often intended to function as conversation pieces as much as conventional shoes, with themes and silhouettes that can include animals, fantasy imagery, novelty forms and references to popular culture. Sullivan developed the brand in reaction to what he regarded as the subdued and repetitive character of late-1990s British high-street fashion, particularly the dominance of black and brown footwear. According to accounts of the brand's origins, he found that brightly coloured and printed shoes sold more successfully than the label's classic designs. His family background also influenced the venture: his mother had worked as a designer for Red or Dead, while his father founded the shoe brand Pod. These connections helped establish a design-led path for a company intended to be adventurous rather than restrained. Footwear remains Irregular Choice's central product category. Early collections included shoes and boots influenced by the Japanese split-toe style, while later designs expanded into highly embellished pumps, boots, trainers and sandals. A recurring brand signature is the character heel, in which the heel itself becomes a recognizable sculptural feature. Examples associated with the label include rabbit-shaped "Thumper" heels, as well as garden-gnome and unicorn forms. The brand's visual language extends across uppers, soles, trims and packaging, allowing a single product to communicate a complete theme. The business broadened beyond shoes during the 2000s. Handbags were introduced in summer 2004, followed later that year by gloves, umbrellas and other accessories. A womenswear line using prints created by Sullivan's design team was launched in February 2008. Irregular Choice also developed collaborative products and capsule collections, including footwear created for Heatherette's 2007 collection and a subsequent Heatherette Loves Irregular Choice range. For approximately two years, the company produced a line connected with the fashion doll Blythe, demonstrating its appeal to collectors and audiences interested in expressive, character-driven design. International distribution became an important part of the brand's growth. Irregular Choice entered the American market in 2003, and within a year its shoes were reportedly stocked by about 240 United States stores. The company opened a Soho store in Manhattan in 2007, followed by a London flagship on Carnaby Street in 2008. Its Brighton shop opened in 2010, and additional shops opened in Leicester and Norwich in 2012. By 2012, the brand reported sales in more than 50 countries, with stores or expansion plans involving Hong Kong, Paris and Dublin. The brand has operated in a difficult retail environment in which independent fashion labels face rising production, distribution and store costs. Reference material reports that Irregular Choice temporarily shut down in 2025 after rising costs and the closure of a factory. Following customer support, it reportedly reopened under a new business model on February 25, 2026. The available material does not identify the legal structure of the new model, its ownership, financial performance or the precise scope of its resumed operations. Irregular Choice's lasting positioning is therefore best understood as a niche, globally distributed fashion label whose differentiation rests on maximalist footwear, collectible collaborations and an intentionally irregular design philosophy.

Irregular Choice was established in Brighton in 1999 by Dan Sullivan, a designer who wanted to create footwear with a more adventurous visual identity than the subdued shoes commonly associated with the British high street at the time. Sullivan's family had relevant experience in fashion and footwear: his mother had designed for Red or Dead, and his father had founded Pod. This background, combined with Sullivan's interest in unusual construction and strong colour, shaped a brand built around the idea of doing something deliberately unconventional. The earliest collections explored distinctive shoe and boot forms, including designs influenced by the traditional Japanese split-toe silhouette. Rather than treating decoration as a minor accent, Irregular Choice made colour, pattern and novelty central to the product. The brand found that its printed and brightly coloured footwear performed better than its more conventional designs, reinforcing a strategy based on recognisable visual difference. Character heels subsequently became one of its most identifiable features. Sculptural examples included rabbit-shaped Thumper heels and designs depicting garden gnomes and unicorns. The company expanded its assortment in 2004, introducing handbags during the summer and gloves, umbrellas and other accessories in the autumn collections. It later added womenswear, launching a line in February 2008 that used prints developed by Sullivan's design team. These extensions allowed the label to apply its theatrical aesthetic beyond footwear while keeping shoes at the centre of its identity. Collaborations helped Irregular Choice reach audiences interested in fashion, entertainment and collectibles. A small footwear collection made for Heatherette's 2007 collection generated reported interest from celebrities and other fashion customers. Fan demand led to the Heatherette Loves Irregular Choice spin-off range. The brand also produced a Blythe-related line for approximately two years, using the fashion doll's image and associated collector culture as part of the product concept. International distribution developed rapidly. Irregular Choice entered the United States in 2003, and within a year its products were reportedly available through around 240 American stores. The company opened a Soho, Manhattan store in 2007, where reported weekly sales were between $25,000 and $35,000; these figures are historical claims and are not treated here as current financial data. A London flagship opened on Carnaby Street in 2008. The Brighton store followed in 2010, and Leicester and Norwich locations were added in 2012. By that year, the brand was reported to sell in more than 50 countries, with expansion involving Hong Kong and Paris and a planned Dublin location. The label's distinctive retail and product model made it a niche player rather than a conventional mass-market footwear company. Its competitive proposition depended on recognisable themes, limited-feeling designs, unusual heels and collaborations capable of generating collector interest. At the same time, this model remained exposed to manufacturing and retail pressures. Reference material states that Irregular Choice temporarily shut down in 2025 because of rising costs and a factory closure. After receiving customer support, it reportedly reopened with a new business model on February 25, 2026. The available references do not establish the company's present ownership, corporate structure, financial condition or the scale of its resumed operations.

• 2026

  Reported reopening

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  The brand reportedly reopened on February 25, 2026, operating under a new business model after customer support.

• 2025

  Temporary shutdown

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports a temporary closure associated with rising costs and the closure of a factory.

• 2012

  Broader international retail network

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  The brand was reported to sell in more than 50 countries and added shops in Leicester and Norwich, alongside international expansion activity.

• 2010

  Brighton shop opens

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  Irregular Choice opened a shop in its founding city of Brighton.

• 2008

  London flagship and womenswear launch

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened a flagship on Carnaby Street and launched a womenswear line using prints created by its design team.

• 2007

  Heatherette collaboration and New York store

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  Irregular Choice created footwear for Heatherette's collection and opened its first Soho store in Manhattan.

• 2004

  Expansion into handbags and accessories

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  Handbags were introduced in summer 2004, followed by gloves, umbrellas and other accessories in the autumn collections.

• 2003

  Entry into the American market

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  The brand introduced its shoes to the United States, beginning a significant period of international distribution growth.

• 1999

  Brand founded in Brighton

  [1]Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org

  Dan Sullivan founded Irregular Choice in Brighton as a fashion label focused on brightly coloured, unconventional footwear.

A maximalist, novelty-led fashion label positioned against conservative mainstream footwear. Irregular Choice emphasizes colour, print, theatrical construction, sculptural heels, character references and collectible collaborations.

• Footwear · 1999

  Decorative footwear

  Irregular Choice's core assortment consists of women's shoes and boots distinguished by intense colour, printed uppers, ornamentation and unconventional silhouettes. The designs are intended to be visually expressive rather than discreet, often combining several decorative elements in one product. Early styles included shoes and boots influenced by the Japanese split-toe form, while later collections broadened into pumps, sandals, trainers and other fashion footwear.

• Footwear

  Character heels

  Character heels are a signature design device in which the heel becomes a sculptural or figurative part of the shoe. Known examples include rabbit-shaped heels marketed as Thumper, along with garden-gnome and unicorn motifs. These constructions reinforce the brand's novelty and collectible positioning and distinguish it from conventional fashion footwear whose heels are primarily structural or geometric.

• Accessories · 2004

  Handbags and accessories

  The accessories range developed from handbags introduced in 2004 and later included gloves, umbrellas and other items. These products extend Irregular Choice's use of bold prints, themed decoration and playful visual references beyond shoes, allowing customers to coordinate with or collect pieces from the brand's footwear-led seasonal concepts.

• Apparel · 2008

  Womenswear

  Irregular Choice introduced womenswear in February 2008. The line used prints designed by Sullivan's team, carrying the label's colour-focused and graphic approach into clothing. The available reference material does not identify the line's full product range, scale or current availability.

• Collaboration footwear · 2007

  Heatherette Loves Irregular Choice

  This follow-up range emerged from demand for footwear created for Heatherette's 2007 collection. It represents the brand's practice of using fashion collaborations to connect its unusual shoe designs with another label's audience and to generate limited, fan-oriented products.

• Collaboration footwear

  Blythe collaboration line

  Irregular Choice produced a footwear line in collaboration with the fashion doll Blythe for approximately two years. The collection used Blythe imagery and addressed the overlap between novelty fashion, character design and collector culture.

• 2007Heatherette collaboration

  International fashion market

  Irregular Choice produced a small collection of shoes for Heatherette's 2007 collection. Reported interest from fashion customers helped lead to the Heatherette Loves Irregular Choice follow-up range.

  Outcome. The collaboration generated additional demand and was extended into a spin-off range.

  Source
• Blythe collaboration

  International

  The brand collaborated with the Blythe fashion doll for approximately two years, using the doll's image in a dedicated product line.

  Outcome. The line connected Irregular Choice with Blythe's collector and character-fashion audience; the reference does not provide sales results.

  Source

• 2025

  Temporary closure and business-model changeStrategy

  Background

  Reference material attributes the temporary shutdown to rising costs and the closure of a factory.

  Action taken

  The brand reportedly closed temporarily and later prepared to operate under a new business model.

  Aftermath

  Irregular Choice reportedly reopened on February 25, 2026, after customer support. Details of the new structure and operating model remain undocumented in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2008

  Womenswear launchProduct launch

  Background

  After expanding into accessories, Irregular Choice sought to apply its internally created prints to apparel.

  Action taken

  The brand launched a womenswear line in February 2008.

  Aftermath

  The launch extended the brand beyond footwear, although the available sources do not document its long-term scale or performance.

  Source

• 2007

  Heatherette collaboration extensionM&A

  Background

  Demand followed a small footwear collection made for Heatherette's 2007 collection.

  Action taken

  The companies developed the Heatherette Loves Irregular Choice spin-off range.

  Aftermath

  The extension demonstrated the commercial value of collaboration-led, fan-oriented products. It was a collaboration rather than a merger or acquisition.

  Source

• 2004

  Expansion beyond footwearStrategy

  Background

  The brand's identity had been established through unusual shoes and boots, but it sought to extend its design language into complementary fashion categories.

  Action taken

  Irregular Choice introduced handbags in summer 2004 and added gloves, umbrellas and other accessories later that year.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened the assortment while retaining the label's emphasis on colour, print and novelty.

  Source

1. 1Irregular Choiceen.wikipedia.org