French Sole first began life in the 1960's when shoe designer Jane Winkworth was a teenager and holidaying in the South of France. As a life-long devotee of everything "ballet" Jane adored wearing ballet flats. After stumbling upon a tiny store in St Tropez which sold a range of brightly colored ballet flats, she bought several pairs. She decided there and then that one day she would design and sell her own range of ballet flats for everyday wear - and so the story begins.

An aspiring ballet dancer as a little girl and with a passion for art and the ballet, Jane wore only flat ballet pumps throughout her childhood as a teenager and into her adult years. This inspired her to create her own brand of ballets.

French Sole prides themselves on having always produced their shoes strictly within the EU and being hand-lasted by 3rd generation shoe manufacturers using only the finest European leathers. As a sponsor of the English National Ballet, Jane derives tremendous inspiration from each new production. She also finds each of the exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts extremely inspirational.