POLYCHROME PROTOTYPE
When I received the 2017 Brooklyn Shoe School Scholarship, I knew I had to make a shoe that stood out, but also allowed me to learn as many new shoemaking techniques I could in one week. The upper I designed would challenge my pattern making abilities, and since there are so many panels, figuring out how it all comes together would help me understand how to make patterns on my own. The design I made for this class would become my signature design, and I have developed it through several stages of samples, and continue to develop it.
I had the outline down, now I had to figure out a colorway to use. I initially came up with five concepts, all of which featured some sort of color pop on the rear panels that would be the focal point of the shoe. I ultimately decided upon the colorway I dubbed "martian."
Once I had my materials gathered, I was ready for the class. It was a fast-paced class, and turned out to be a lot of work for one week. I was able to learn so much, and laid the groundwork for all my shoemaking and development skills. The design changed slightly for ease of construction purposes, but I was able to keep the overall design intention intact. Here are some shots of the pattern making process, and once the shoes have been lasted.
I was very happy with the finished pair. It served as a good basis for development and though there were some small issues with construction, I had a real pair of shoes! I learned how to properly make a pattern, some upper-making tips, and how to make a stacked EVA-Leather sole that was saddle stitched. And on top of that, was able to network with some very talented and creative individuals.