Jennifer fell into the footwear industry unexpectedly after studying Fashion Design at Ryerson University. Upon graduation she has had the opportunity to live and work throughout Canada, United States, South America, Europe and Asia fine tuning her craft and gaining industry experience designing for various companies such as Aldo, Abercrombie and Fitch, Awamaki, Pour La Victoire and other private labels.

Her designs have been featured in many publications such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, In Style, Elle and Flare Magazine to name a few and has been worn by many reputable icons such as Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Blake Lively and Rihanna.

After working in the industry for a handful of years, Jennifer decided it was time to branch off on her own. In 2014, she launched Art and Sole Academy, a creative space where like minded people could connect, create and collaborate all while offering shoemaking, handbags and small leather goods workshops.

After operating Art and Sole out of Toronto, ON  for 6 years, Jennifer made the decision to return to her roots and in March 2020 relocated the studio to her hometown, North Bay, ON.
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Dorothy is a fabulous french bulldog who holds a very important role at The Art and Sole Academy.

She has been a shoe lover for as long as she can remember. Her favourite footwear designer is Jimmy Chew and loves the movie Wizard of Oz. She would do anything to get her paws on a pair of ruby slippers.

Dorothy loves meeting new people and giving free kisses and cuddles throughout our classes. She spends the majority of her days chewing her bone and playing with her toys although every once in a while she will circle the room to make sure everyone is on schedule.

If you are interested in signing up for a class but feel uncomfortable with pets in the studio please send us an email in advance at contact@artandsoleacademy.com and we will give her a day off!