SOLE SERIES VOL.7

If you have taken a workshop  at Art and Sole there is a good chance you have met Nancy!
The running joke in the studio is that Nancy has been the one keeping the studio in business all these years...
From sandals and sneakers to jewelry and handbag workshops... You name it... She has signed up to make it!
It has been such a pleasure to watch Nancy grow and gain confidence in the craft over the past 3 years!
​ To learn more about her studio experience and inspiration... Keep reading!

Tell us a little about yourself...

My name is Nancy, I was born in Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago and immigrated to Canada when I was three years old and my family settled in Brampton, Ontario.  My father enrolled my sister and I in art classes at the local recreations centre when I was 9.  I created some string art and paintings.  In grade 5 I started knitting using two grand and toy yellow HB pencils and yarn I bought at Bargain Harold’s.  I am really dating myself here.  Moving ahead several years, I attended Sheridan College in Oakville for fashion design and later went on to study computer graphics and design.  I now work in technology.

One of Nancy's first pairs! Classic flats with leather floral/hardware detail

If you were a shoe what type of shoe would you be?

If I were a shoe I would be a boot. Only cause I like to kick ass! 

The perfect clutch made created in our Minaudière workshop

What inspired you to take classes at Art and Sole?

I found Art and Sole Academy on the internet purely by accident.  I was making felted slippers and wanted to make soles for them.  The website kept coming up.  I finally decided to take a class and I caught the shoemaking bug.  I haven’t stopped taking classes since 2017.

Nancy's "LadyBIrd" oxfords inspired by Downton Abbey created in our Intermediate Shoemaking  Workshop

Have you continued to practice the craft?

I have continued with the art of shoe making.  Each class I took photos of each step, wrote lots of notes and bought the tools I used.

Quilted coin clutch with leather woven chain created during one of our holiday pop workshops!

Which brands or designers inspire you?

My favorite designers are Dior, Alexander McQueen, Yves St. Laurent and Givenchy.

Nancy volunteered to help out with our Buick Collaboration back in 2018 and in exchange made a complimentary pair for herself!
These driving moccasins were hand stitched and made using luxury leather normally used for Buick vehicle interiors

What does being a maker mean to you? 
​
Being a maker empowers me!  I can create almost anything!  That is why I find it so hard to shop retail.  Quality is really hard to find.