The Ilvi Shoes brand, which he created with his passion for design and shoes, reached six stores in eight years. Ilvi even sells shoes from Turkey to Italy, the center of shoe fashion. With its online store, it exports micro-exports to the whole world. “The advantages are great, anyone can micro-export,” says Ilvira Donskaya, co-founder of Ilvi Shoes.
It opened its first store in Istanbul Nisantasi in 2014. After shoes and bags, he was also thrown into the leather jacket industry. Design and shoes, which have been the biggest passion of the brand’s creator Ilvira Donskaya since childhood, have now become her business. It designs its own products, follows the trends and creates innovative and stylish shoes and bags. It has recently started to produce leather jackets after a variety of colorful shoes. Moreover, they are all handmade. Donskaya exports mainly to Belarus and Italy. Ilvi Shoes Leather and Textile Products Industry Trade. AŞ, has been selling products to all countries of the world with its micro-exports through its online sales store since its establishment. In addition to its strong online sales network, it currently has eight stores and 150 employees. It plans new store investments.
How did you bring your brand to life?
Shoes and design, which has been my passion since childhood, I think has been the biggest factor in planning my day. It was my hobby to be interested in design in my childhood, and it is my dream to open a shoe store. I have worked in the retail industry in different positions and duties for years. My wife also works in the shoe export and retail sector. Together with him, we launched the Ilvi brand in 2014.
What are you producing?
We produce in the categories of women, men and children. We offer our bags and shoes in different categories and styles. In addition to this, we can say that we entered the textile industry with our new venture, leather jacket designs. That’s why we’re very excited. In the near future, we will be talking and developing our leather jacket designs more.
The products are handmade leather, right?
Yes, our products are handmade. Ilvi’s journey started with the mission of making every woman feel stylish, comfortable, special and stronger in high quality and modern Ilvi shoes. We offer exclusive design, trendy, innovative, handmade collections that prioritize quality.
Are the designs yours? What are you doing to keep your creativity alive?
We take great pleasure in developing with our team from the very foundation of the idea and design to the last moment. Experiences and passions are my most nourishing sides. I am inspired by my own experiences and passionately brought to life. At the same time, İlvi’s philosophy is to aim for success by feeling the team spirit with the right people. We work with a team that does its job with love and passion at every stage, from the expression of our smallest idea, to the production process, to the last moment we meet with our customers. We are a strong and big family of 150 people. On the other hand, my family is my most important source of strength. Their presence always makes me aim for the better. The excitement of exploring and experiencing is another part of me that keeps me strong. The world explores what is not spoken apart from what is spoken… While meeting with a new culture on a new travel route to be discovered, re-discovering the doyens of the fashion and business world, listening to music, reading a book, find yourself; You can find moments to improve. In fact, every moment is a part of creativity and development.
Who do your products appeal to?
We closely follow the developments in the world of fashion and design. We are constantly renewing our products in line with the demands of our customers. In fact, we are trying to convey; It is a movement in which we get stronger as we get better and get better as we get stronger. We are doing big merchandising and exporting in the sector. Men, women and children, we offer all models that a family needs, with a boutique service approach. We attach great importance to the concept of the store, simple communication with our customers and service, and aim to provide good service. At this point, we also benefit from technology and invest. In this highly competitive market, we follow the trends closely and renew ourselves according to the needs and expectations of the consumer.
Comfort or design?
We want to make you feel stylish, comfortable, special and stronger in Ilvi Shoes. We move forward without compromising on comfort or design.
How many stores do you have?
We opened two new stores, one in İstinyePark İzmir AVM and the other in Bursa Sur Yapı Marka AVM. With our first store opened in Nişantaşı in 2014, we have reached a total of six stores in Turkey. In addition, we continue our investments as a shoe fashion designer with our strong online sales network. We continue to work with new stores to be opened in the near future and new projects that we will implement. We plan to increase the number of our stores according to the appropriate conditions.
What is the share of your internet sales in turnover today, where e-commerce is gaining more and more importance?
Digital transformation is an indispensable part of our age. Like all other sectors, we are also in this transformation. The share of internet sales in turnover is 30 percent. There was an increase of 40 percent during the pandemic process. With digital transformation, e-commerce is gaining momentum in every sector day by day. Along with our investments in e-commerce, we also have a target of 100 percent growth in our online sales turnover.
Which countries do you export to through the online sales channel?
We export micro-exports to the whole world through our online store www.ilvi.com. Apart from micro export, we export our products to Belarus, Italy, Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, TRNC, Romania and Estonia.
How would you describe this distinction in your exports? Why do you call it micro export?
Micro export is an export model that allows international export shipments to be made electronically by authorized fast cargo companies. In this way, we have the opportunity to deliver small-sized, low-priced and low-weight products to the end user quickly compared to normal exports. Micro-exports of products that do not exceed 300 kg and whose value does not exceed 15 thousand euros are made with the Electronic Commerce Customs Declaration (ETGB). We define our orders with this status as micro export shipments.
What are the subtleties of micro export?
Micro export, in essence, aims to reach the end user abroad. The most important issue here is to deliver products suitable for the needs and demographic characteristics of consumers in the country to which micro-export will be made. We apply a very advanced analysis and reporting strategies in this regard. Thus, we can deliver our product group to the right audiences. After completing the R&D studies, it is very important to determine and plan a cost policy along with product delivery, taxes and additional expenses. In addition, tax exemption, benefiting from government incentives and following them are among the plans in question.
Well, finally; What advice do you have for those who want to make their dreams come true?
My advice to everyone, which is also my roadmap; I can say ‘Dreaming, courage, risk, goal’. Of course, nothing alone is enough, it is very important to always work hard with a planned and target-oriented. But still the dynamism of success is very personal. I think the biggest key is to ‘find the space you love’.
“The advantages of micro export are great”
One of the advantages of micro-export is that it provides foreign exchange inflow to our country. Especially the increase in foreign exchange makes micro export sales more efficient. Return and exchange rates are not as high as in the local. In addition, by marketing your products all over the world more interactively, we both accelerate their accessibility and increase their brand value. There are no restrictions for micro-exporting. It is enough to declare that you are a company and fulfill the conditions. For example; Sole proprietorships can also micro-export. The important thing is; determining the products to be sold, making an agreement with authorized cargo companies, making an Electronic Commerce Customs Declaration (ETGB) and not exceeding the determined micro export upper limit. Anyone who fulfills these conditions can make micro-exports.
This summer’s shoe trend is thick sole
In the 2022 Spring-Summer season of Ilvi Shoes, women’s shoe designs include platforms and thick heels, thick soles, thin band details, silvery forms, rhinestones and knitted details. Among the men’s collection designs, sneakers with thick sole laces, loafers with soft leather forms, knitted forms in classic and moccasin shoes are at the forefront. In the bag collection, the colors of spring have a comfortable and luxurious line.