Lane Marinho

As a shoemaker seeing other shoemakers work is both inspiring and motivating. Lane Marinho does just that, her brand has grown from strength to strength and the footwear she makes are just beautiful - its no wonder she has done so well. Working from her own studio she has stayed grounded and to her roots with handmade footwear and her new venture in accessories. I absolutely love the raw and authentic style of her accessories that totally show off her Brasilian background (one of my favourite places in the world) Im totally obsessed - her Instagram is totally to die for, the photography perfectly represents the artisan and its ties to the handmade industry so be sure to to have a scroll through its perfect for those lazy Sundays!

Handmade fur peep toe Shoes

So this was really quick project, I had a really short deadline - mostly because I decided last minute to make these for a an event where I'd be talking about being a shoe and accessories maker at my old high school. I was super excited to be taking part, art and Design Technology was such a massive part of my life as a high school student, and even now have such a massive impact on the way I look and experience art, whether it's at a gallery or the make up of the patterns I make for footwear. So here it is, the process pics from the Peep toe shoes I made for my day back to school! A HUGE thank you to Mrs Redman for inviting me I had such a blast meeting the students - so exciting to meet young, energetic and passionate students.

...more progress

So I know last week I promised I would have the shoes completed but that was all until my birthday weekend happened and before (the real culprit) alcohol happened. This year was the first year since my dad passed away that I really wanted to go out and celebrate so in true Kiren style I went all out, and basically wrote off the whole weekend and totally had no time to make anything. So yesterday was the first day that I got around to making any real progress and this was the outcome; basically a whole chunk of the most challenging part done and dusted (yippee) Since I went back on my word this week I wont be making any more bold statements about when they will be finished, but just know you guys will have the first peek when they are!

Pattern Making Process

So this week I have been working on the patterns for the pair of heels I had designed for Wednesdays post just gone. Im hoping by Sunday I should have them pretty close to finished (they should be up on the blog next Wednesday since its my birthday weekend) so on that note enjoy the progress pics and hold tight for the finished beauties! :)

This weeks handmade Project

I bought some gorgeous leathers while I was in Hong Kong and in attempt to just use them I've decided to design and make a pair of shoes that I've had in my head for ages. So here are my initial sketches - I like showing my draft sketches because they show development and just how difficult it is to get the design spot on especially on your first go. I managed to get to the pattern making stage and Im aiming to get these shoes finished by the end of the week. Stay tuned for updates on this project through out the week.

Handmade Sliders X 2

So this week I have been keeping busy, I have managed to finish off two pairs of shoes, a pair I started a week ago and a pair i started a couple months back that I never had the chance to finish off. I love them both! One thing is for sure I'm improving and learning new tricks as I make more and more shoes, which is great and a fab new shoedrobe too - wooop! Since we've been having a wonderful couple days these sliders I'm sure will see a few days out before we hit Autumn. The next few pictures show my last few steps for the tassel sliders and the completed gold acid splash leather sliders.