The Story
"I grew up in an artistic family and have always had a passion for painting. I also love fashion and clothes and have a vast collection of shoes! My career producing custom trainers began with a tiny pair of Airforce for my friend’s forthcoming baby. She was thrilled with her unusual and very personal ‘baby shower’ gift, I wondered if there was market for them. I did a lot of research to ensure I was using high quality materials and produced a small selection of customised trainers I could sell on Etsy. At this stage it was just a fantastic hobby alongside my busy waitressing job."}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"One memorable Wednesday, I was serving in the Café when I was approached by Simon Squibb. He asked me ‘What’s your dream?’ and I tentatively told him about my custom shoes on Etsy. To my complete shock and amazement, he offered to support me turn my hobby into a business. With the help of Simon and the video he posted of our interaction (which went viral!) I then had the exposure I needed. Orders for my custom shoes came piling in and I now work full time in my home-based studio."}]},{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"I love the variety of work as there are always new design requests that challenge my creativity and expertise. My style is very playful and colourful and as an extra bit of fun I decorate the box too which compliments the shoes. I’ve done a lot of Disney style customs for children, but I can’t wait to expand and showcase my adult designs. I hope it’s obvious from the end result and the feedback I have from customers, that my shoes are painted with love. They are personal and original and make wonderful gifts, so it’s imperative my customers are happy."
