How I Got Started

I've been making shoes since I was a kid. My parents taught me and my brothers to make our own sandals. They were simple sandals - my brother calls them Jesus cruisers - they were flat with straps across the top of the foot and around the heel. We'd trace our feet, cut out the soles and fit the sandals right to our feet using straps cut from a hide, buckles, rivets, nails and glue. I don't recall my dad making sandals; I believe he still wears the pair he made for himself in the 60's.

Sandal making became a creative outlet for me and I continued making sandals through college and graduate school. I started making wood clogs and more intricate designs. I joined the MIT woodshop for access to a bandsaw and belt sander and used to work on a little stool outside my apartment.

Eventually my hobby became fueled by an inability to find the right shoes... I'm a city girl that doesn't like to drive. So, I need shoes to look good and feel good. Dansko's did it for a while, but I longed for something edgy and more feminine.

After moving to Seattle, I decided to take my shoe-making more seriously and after some training in London, I set up my own design studio and started working on designs for myself. Now I've set out to launch my first line of shoes.

This summer I will debut my first collection. Sandals.