Vincent Elbaum was born in Stockholm in February 1998. His uncle Thomas thought it would be fun to buy his nephew his first pair of shoes, but his hunt for the perfect, functional shoes turned into a disappointment - children's shoes on offer in local stores were either dull or made from synthetic materials.

The disappointment turned into a business idea. Thomas, a fashion model turned restaurateur and interior designer, and his partner, Patrick Osterman, a store decorator and buyer for Swedish clothing retailer H&M across Europe, decided to design their own children's shoe collection.

Vincent's father Peter (Thomas' twin), and his mother Natasha joined the team as managers, and Vincent Shoe Store opened in the Swedish capital when the little boy was just over a year old. The collection was met with such success that a second store opened in the city within six months.

Over the years, as he grew up, Vincent continued to inspire his eponymous shoe collection, but now aged 11, Mr Elbaum and Mr Osterman say he has grown out of Vincent Shoes' sizes - the company has remained faithful to its roots and only makes shoes for children aged six months to nine years, a tagline it also uses in its campaigns.

"Boys want cool shoes, girls usually pink and glitter," Mr Elbaum replied when asked what kind of shoes children were after. Mr Elbaum and Mr Osterman were in Malta this weekend to help open the Vincent franchise store in Sliema with P. Cutajar & Co.

"When we design the shoes, we also think about what we want them to look like and what adults would want children's shoes to be - it is about the quality, the durability, and the comfort. When parents are helping children try on new shoes, the children will refuse to wear them outright if they are not comfortable.

"We always use leather. It is also one of the reasons we started the company. In Sweden, many shops stock shoes made from synthetics, and leather shoes are in a totally different price range. People are often not prepared to spend that kind of money. Our shoes are mainly mid-range, pricewise."

Vincent Shoes launches two collections a year with a range that includes sports shoes, party shoes and Wellington boots, soft toys, accessories, and even a limited PVC armchair and footstool range in daring colours like gold, silver and pink. The furniture line was produced after customers began to enquire where they could buy the colourful armchairs found in Vincent stores.

Design has proved to be Vincent Shoe Stores' key differentiator. Mr Elbaum said that even when the first store was opened in Stockholm, it was designed as a concept. Customers were so impressed by the white interior design that allowed the collection - already sporting the Vincent logo - to stand out so well that Mr Elbaum recalled they would ask whether the head office was in London or Paris.

"I would tell them the head office was behind the wall!" Mr Elbaum smiled. "We had not advertised at all as we did not have the money. We just put up 'Opening Soon' signs on the windows and then we opened the door. It was the fashionable part of town and some TV stars were living there. We sparked curiosity and the customers came.

"In the first five or six years, we were all on the shopfloor selling shoes and understanding what parents were looking for. We would talk to numerous parents all day long. It was exhausting but satisfying to see customers appreciated the fact that shop staff were ready to help. Proper shoes are probably the hardest thing to buy a young child. I think they were also surprised to find three men and a woman in a children's shoe store!"

The company did make it abroad - without advertising for franchisees. People would call and ask if the company was interested in franchising the concept and the trend took off.

The first franchise opened in Turin. The designers were wary about opening a children's shoe store in a country obsessed with shoes. Vincent's shoe collection has simple, clean, sporty designs while Italians liked shoes with lots of detail, but the franchisee reported customers had warmed to the Swedish brand and sales were positive. Italy is now Vincent's fastest overseas market with five shops in total, and more planned.

The brand - complete with its own customised foot measuring system - is now present in 20 locations in Sweden, three in Iceland, two in Germany, and two in London. Stores have also been opened in Estonia, Ireland, Scotland, Russia, Switzerland, and Austria.

Under an agreement with an international distributor, Vincent shoes are now to be found in major capitals. The shoes have also found their way onto the feet of some celebrity children, with famous mums Julia Roberts, Britney Spears and Gwyneth Paltrow all spotted shopping at Vincent stores.

Vincent dipped its toes in Asia last week when its first store opened in Seoul. Encouraged by the initial response, five to six shops are planned for the region, including one in Thailand. Mr Elbaum and Mr Osterman are now working to open 15 to 20 new shops around the world by spring/summer next year.