Marlene, an innovation consultant and mother of two, came to "I Can Make Shoes" in 2019 and has since started her own slow fashion sandal brand SANDALERIE.
Why did you decide to join one of our courses?
After I finished my Master's degree, I wanted to do something creative with my hands. I was looking for something special and remembered that I used to love making little paper shoes as a child. So I searched the internet for a course on making sandals and decided to take the course at "I Can Make Shoes". As I'm from Germany, I combined the course with a little trip to London. Since then, designing and making sandals has been my passion.
Why did you start your own shoe brand?
I started my own shoe brand of made-to-measure strappy sandals because I wanted to bring the fantastic experience of custom-made sandals from the Amalfi Coast to Germany and Switzerland.
During a girls trip to southern Italy, I fell in love with the family-run sandal shops that offer custom-made leather sandals. You feel like you're in a candy store, you can choose the design of the sandal and the colours of the leather straps, and then the shoe is made on your foot in less than 30 minutes.
Through the course at "I Can Make Shoes“, I had a sharpened eye for the production process. Thanks to my background in agile product development and my basic knowledge in shoe production, I was able to re-create this Italian experience after a few years of experimenting with different techniques and materials. And for the women who don't live in Basel or Zurich, I also sell elegant lace-up sandals online that don‘t need to be fitted in person.
What was your main inspiration for your shoe collection?
My main inspiration was definitely the elegant Italian design of the Amalfi Coast. By offering only timeless colours like cognac and black, I want to contribute to slow fashion and offer women beautiful, high-quality sandals that are made especially for them and will last for many years.
learn shoemaking for yourself
I created a free 40-minute online course called 'Introduction to Shoemaking' to show how easy home shoemaking can be and to give you a little taste of what I Can Make Shoes is all about. SIGN UP HERE for instant access.
If you are wanting to dive a little deeper into the world of home shoemaking, my online Footwear Masterclass is one of the most popular shoemaking courses in the world!! 🌍 (Casual brag! lol)
The course covers how to make shoes from scratch including heels, flats, boots, sneakers, sandals, and more. The thing that really sets this course apart from others is that it's specifically designed for total beginners and requires very little in the way of tools & equipment, there's even a bonus module on how to start your own shoe brand. To make getting started even easier, the course comes with a FREE Shoemaking Starter Kit, delivered to your door, anywhere in the world! 🌍
We are a tight community and regularly limit our intake to ensure the best experience for our students - so if our enrolment is closed I would recommend you sign up for our FREE Introduction to Shoemaking course while you wait.
Happy Shoemaking, Amanda xx
Pssssssst.... If you want to have a look at the shoes our students have been making, give us a follow on Instagram.
