This is a great question and one that I get asked all the time, ‘How long does it take to make shoes?’ The answer will depend heavily on the design of the shoe, but to give you a rough idea if you are making your own shoes following our home shoemaking techniques it can take […]
We get asked this question all the time ‘How much does it cost to make shoes?’ The cost of making shoes totally depends on the design of the shoe and how many pairs you are looking to make. When having shoes mass-produced, the more shoes you make, the cheaper the cost. This is because you […]
How do you make shoes? Great Question! This all depends on the style of shoes you are making but most shoes follow what is called the ‘cemented construction’. In a nutshell, ‘cemented construction’ is referring to a shoe that is help together with super strong glue. It’s where the upper materials of the shoe are […]
Ever found yourself wondering, ‘Can I make my own shoes?’ Our answer is Hell Yes! 🌟 Learning how to make your own shoes is much easier than you would think and can easily be done from the comfort of your own home. Home shoemaking is very similar to traditional shoemaking with a few upgrades when […]
These online shoemaking courses have been in the works for years, its been so great to get them filmed and out there into the world and WOW the response has been amazing! It's been the most wonderful feeling to be able to expand our online shoemaking community to include people from all over the world […]
If you're struggling to figure out which leather to use for your home shoe or bootmaking project, here is a bit more info to help you with your decision 🙂 I'm always talking about choosing the right thickness but it's really more about stretchiness. The reason I talk about the thickness is because if you […]
Since we launched our online courses on home shoemaking we have received lots of great questions about sewing machines. In this post we hope to put to rest some of your questions and point you in the right direction so that you can start your shoemaking journey from home. DO YOU NEED A SEWING MACHINE […]
Every shoe starts with the last. The last is a shoe shaped block that the shoe is built around and the shoe takes on the lasts shape in the process. With this in mind you have to choose the right size, shape and heel height of your last before you begin making a shoe. Lasts […]
The 'topline' of a shoe is any visible design line of the style. Just like dressmaking the toplines of shoes can be stitched in an array of different ways to create a different look or feel. In the video below i'll introduce you to a few of the most popular topline treatments in shoes and […]
There are lots of different methods in which shoes are constructed, but the most popular method is called 'cement or cemented construction'. This method is the easiest and most accessible shoemaking construction and will likely be the method used for many of the shoes you own. The cemented construction - in a nutshell - is […]
Click on the image below to watch a short video on insocks. Insocks or insole socks are one of the final touches to making a pair of shoes and are really important for making sure your shoes are comfortable, look great and fit well. 'Insocks' often get mistaken for 'insoles' but in the shoemaking world […]
To start off your journey in footwear it's important to know the key components that go into making a pair of shoes. Even if you don't plan to make shoes of your own and are more interested in starting a shoe brand - its crucial that you know what these components are, so that you […]
In December 2019 Amanda traveled to the Philippines with The British Council (@phbritish) as part of a social impact project. Amanda teamed up with Unyx, the co-founder of Zapateria Hub (@zapateriahub) and they ran a workshop teaching basic sandal making to young women and girls from local Filipino communities. They called it ‘We Can Make […]
In December of 2019 Amanda was invited by The British Council and Zapateria Hub to work on a Social Impact Workshop teaching shoemaking to young women and girls in local Filipino communities. Zapateria Hub is a local shoemaking hub, helping young and emerging designers find a place to grow and develop as designers with the […]
For the past decade Dr. Najwa Javed has been working on improving the way that people care for their foot health. After years of development and countless requests, Najwa has created the E'Mar line of stylish heels with hidden alignment technology. (This means comfortable high heels!) Can I get an AMEN! When Najwa set out […]
You may have seen some of our students occasionally make their own wedding shoes during our courses. We shout it from the rooftops because making your own shoes is really just the best thing ever – even if they’re for everyday, let alone your wedding day. This time the wedding shoes we’re talking about were […]
Simona came to I Can Make Shoes in 2018 and has since launched her very own luxury shoe brand, SIMONA RUSK. The debut collection, Heirloom, is a tribute to her Mum - inspired by the lavish interiors and beautiful gardens of Britain’s stately homes. Simona has collaborated with UK-based maison Henry Bertrand to develop bespoke […]
So after creating my best friends wedding shoes from an old pair of heels, I was still itching to create something else ‘weddingy.’ ….All up until I had to try on my bridesmaid dress – A beautiful creation from reformation (I’ve fan girled this brand for a while so I was ecstatic when I found […]
This week we've been celebrating International Stress Awareness Week! This topic is really close to our hearts at I Can Make Shoes because we believe wholeheartedly that making things can be a form of therapy for some people and has certainly been an outlet for our founder Amanda over the years. Making things with your […]
1. Shoes too big? “What are insoles?” you may ask. An insole is a soft pad (usually made from a foam, gel or leather material), which you place inside your shoes to provide support, cushioning and even warmth for your feet. Although often intended to help with posture problems and other discomforts, they’re also super-useful […]
Solace London is a British womenswear brand founded by Laura Taylor and Ryan Holliday-Stevens in 2013. Longtime friends and collaborators, the duo share a dynamic background spanning design, production, retail, marketing and creative direction. They also happen to be our neighbours, so it was a real pleasure when they asked us to work on sampling the shoes […]
I am so excited to be sharing this one! Maya took her first step in the world of footwear back in 2017 when she joined our Footwear Masterclass in London. Fast forward to today, and I am blown away with how far she has come, having just launched her shoe line, MAYA LAKIS. Her first […]
OUR GUIDE TO CRAFT IN EAST LONDON "London has long had a Fashion Week and a Design Festival. Now there is London Craft Week. A magical combination of imagination, individuality, passion and skill found in the best-made of things." shares Guy Salter, Chairman of London Craft Week. And we couldn't be more thrilled to be […]
As we head towards our 10th birthday, that's right tenth! we want to celebrate our amazing community of shoemakers. Far from hiding what happens at our London and New York studios we're opening up the doors so that you can get to know our teachers, makers, students, friends and inspirations. To kick things off our […]
We're marking Fashion Revolution Day 2019 with the launch of our new sustainable option for vegan shoemaking. It seems like everyone and their nana is vegan right now, hey if it’s good enough for Beyoncé there might just be something in it, and while we love a good trend we also believe that there are […]
Finding your perfect pair of wedding shoes can either be the dreamiest experience ever or a retail nightmare straight out of Bridezilla. From not being able to find wedding shoes that you like to the moment you realise none of the shoes you’ve tried so far actually fit you right; what should be a sparkly […]
As more new mums open up about the post baby blues, we wanted to do something this UK Mother’s Day for the mummas who take a bit longer to get back on their feet. So we created a baby shoe-making kit that uses the art of craft-making to empower women through periods of post-natal depression. […]
With the 2019 International Women’s Day theme of #BalanceForBetter we could have posted about the art of balancing a career as a kick-ass woman with the million other things that women get done each day. Or about the need for a better balance of women in senior positions in fashion brands. Instead we decided to […]
CALLING ALL CREATORS. I Can Make Shoes was invited by adidas Originals for the London launch of the P.O.D S3.1, the design inspired by their mid-90’s running sneaker called Point of Deflection. Brooklyn Creator Farm recreated a larger version of their MakerLab at the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch for a pop-up sneaker making event. Our […]
This was such a special trip for me, I was the maid of honor at my bestie's wedding in the south of Italy and she happens to be a shoemaker as well so it was like a mini-reunion with friends from the Brooklyn Shoe Space in New York. As soon as Tom caught wind of this being […]
Megha travelled all the way from India to join our 10 day Mastering Footwear course, upon completion she promptly returned to India to start up her own shoe brand, Buna Pelle. A textile designer by profession, Megha was always fascinated with the accessories department and found herself always in the workshop tinkering with the machines and […]
Caroline's two big loves are shoes and deserts (Just look at her facebook page!). She has a particular interest in comfortable shoes, specifically to aid people who have bunions. Caroline was one of my first students to start her own brand (Caroline Macaron), she attended the 3 day shoe making course 'Start your future in […]
Having spent Christmas with my family in Bali this year, I thought I would take the opportunity to see what the city had to offer (in shoemaking that is). I have to admit I wasn't really wearing shoes for most of the trip, so I was very pleased to discover that Bali has a growing […]
What a year! We ran a total of 81 workshops with more than 270 students from all over the world. A record breaking 340 pairs of shoes were all hand made in our little studio in Bethnal Green. Here is a round up of my top 10 favourite pairs made in 2017. This pair were made by Nouf […]
Devika joined our 10 day 'Mastering Footwear' course back in 2014, and before long she was open for business! She started her shoe brand Devika Bharadwaj in 2015, an eponymous shoe label that offers luxurious, handcrafted shoes for the fashion-conscious women of India. Headquartered in her home, Mumbai, her products are designed, sourced and produced in the city; allowing […]
I have my friend Kate to thank for this one. She and I have been pals since we were 13 and happen to share the same shoe size, so we’ve always bonded over shoes! Kate and her boyfriend had been traveling through Guatemala earlier in the year and happened upon the small town of Pastores […]
Mariam first joined our 3 day 'Start your future in footwear' course back in 2012, since then she has devoted herself to growing her shoe empire! She started her shoe brand Stratford Street Shoes, inspired from her time in London, and now she produces hand made shoes soulfully designed and handcrafted in her home, Pakistan. Mariam is truly an inspiration, […]
Lola first joined our 10 day 'Mastering Footwear' course last year and loved it! She decided then and there that she was going to quit her corporate job and start her own shoe line. Staying true to her heritage, Lola Domecq shoes are designed in London and made in Spain by some of the most remarkable […]
I am so super excited about this - for all of you who can't make in to our courses in person, we have launched our own online courses. Each digital course comes as a downloadable PDF so you can save it to your device and refer back to it at any time you feel like tuning […]
A trip to New York wouldn't be the same without visiting our friends at Brooklyn Shoe Space. My shoe buddy Elizabeth Dunn introduced me to Keiko (founder of BKSS) when she moved to New York a few years back and we've all kept in touch ever since. Brooklyn Shoe Space is a place for shoe makers and […]
These traditional Japanese geta soles came from a trip I took to Thailand last year so I have been waiting to do something super fun with them. I decided this would be a perfect project for our new intern @carlottawho, so she took pen to paper and started brainstorming… We learned that Traditional Japanese footwear tends to have […]
Here’s how I turned this IKEA SANELA cushion cover (Modeled on my Made.com Yoko sofa) into a summer ready pair of pale blue chunky heeled pumps. This project was super fun to say the least and has me wanting to cut up every cushion in my house. First I sacrificed a cushion! I originally had […]
What is there to say about this particular workshop… Well let's start with the fact that we had eleven students each with two feet, meaning twenty-two individual sandals! It definitely was a tight squeeze in our little shoe making studio but also it made the atmosphere in the space extra vibrant, fun and full of […]
I CAN MAKE SHOES is a private shoemaking school based in London and has been in operation since the beginning of 2010. The school attracts students from all over the globe and has now expanded offering online courses. I CAN MAKE SHOES teaches an innovative shoe making technique (the I CAN MAKE SHOES technique) which […]
