Hi, I'm Lou. I launched Shoe School in New Zealand in 2015. Since then I've helped students create thousands of shoes of their own custom design. I’m so excited to relaunch Shoe School in Melbourne in 2024!
 

I embarked on my shoe journey in 2010 while working in retail and nurturing dreams of a career in the craft industry. Craft-related opportunities were limited at that time, so I knew that if was serious I was going to have to create my own job.

‘Whatever I choose it’s going to be tough, so why don’t I just pick the COOLEST craft!’ I’d been curious about shoemaking since I was a teen, obsessively saving for my 1st pair of purple 8-hole Dr Martens.

I wasn’t able to study shoemaking in NZ so I took a leap of faith and travelled to Australia. Back home I began a small business specialising in children's shoes, a simple place to start! I reinvested the profits and acquired antique shoemaking equipment. Slowly I built my own shoemaking studio, with an idea growing that perhaps one day I could teach - this was the beginning of the ‘maker’s movement’ and suddenly everyone, me included was fascinated by all things handmade. And so I doggedly built my studio, and practiced, practiced my craft. My single-minded focus paid off when I was invited to intern in Japan, where I honed my skills in bespoke techniques. More recently, I returned from the USA after immersing myself in the art of crafting cowboy boots. And now, after 8 solid years of teaching, I’m re-launching my business in Naarm!

Please email me if you have any questions about your own shoe dreams! I look forward to hearing from you ☺️

Lou x
shoeschoolau@gmail.com