Fashion Insider

StitchnPost | As a professional shoemaker, what determines the price of a pair of shoes that you design and create?

Amara | Materials + hours + experience (level of difficulty). But, it is a complex equation. The question of pricing is interesting, and something I think a lot about. Many people are eager to support fair trade initiatives and living wages for artisans abroad, but for some reason it feels really different here. When people buy shoes from me, they are supporting an independent craftsman who is both maintaining a tradition and creating custom work. No one thinks twice about the price of a bespoke suit — they know it’s expensive, but it is culturally accepted. When it comes to bespoke shoes, people are surprised by the price, even knowing nothing about the time needed or cost of materials used.

For example, just the materials needed for each pair costs more than most people pay for shoes, between $300-450, and even more for exotic leathers. Each pair takes between 35-70 hours to make. Additionally, there are 2-3 fittings, each of which takes an hour or more. It all adds up. That said, if I were to pay myself the same hourly wage as a plumber, my shoes would be 3 times as much. Yes, I’ve done the math! The shoes are expensive, but that is only when they are compared to manufactured shoes. When looked at through any number of other lens’, they are an incredibly good deal!

“Sustainability is something I think about all the time.”

StitchnPost | What is that you strive for when you are creating a new design?

Amara | The satisfaction of my client and myself. For myself, I am satisfied when the technical craft is very good, and the shoe looks better than I could have imagined it. For my clients, satisfaction comes with a combination of fit and look that creates a feeling. They walk with confidence, feeling physically supported, and that their shoes reflect and project who they are as individuals. The culmination is when a client walks out of the workshop in their new shoes feeling wonderful. There is no better feeling in the world.

StitchnPost | Where does your inspiration come from when creating your designs? And is there a specific time of day that you find you are most creative? If so, when?

Amara | The design is always a total collaboration with my clients. It makes it more fun (and challenging!) for me and is better for them. If I am making work as a sample or for myself, it is usually related to processes that I want to practice or try out. If I am being purely creative and making artwork, it is usually related to ideas that come from books that I read or listen to, or ideas I think about while working. Because I am alone for so many hours every day — all day every day! — I have a lot of thinking time. My best ideas usually come in dreams, or that space between being awake and asleep. With a new baby, I tend to have a lot more of those times, and I have been having a lot of ideas!

StitchnPost | Once you have completed a design project, what is that you hope you have accomplished?

Amara | That I have been challenged and met my own expectations as a maker, and that my client is satisfied in the look and feel of their new shoes.

StitchnPost | What do your friends and family think about your business in fashion design?

Amara | They are very supportive. I am incredibly lucky!

StitchnPost | Name at least one person that you feel has given you the support needed to continue in your profession as shoemaker. And explain, how they’ve supported you.

Amara |I have had several teachers/mentors, all of whom have shaped me as an individual and my ability as a maker. But the main person who has been supportive is my mom. She is also a craftsman — a paper-maker. She raised my sister and I completely independently, and was an amazing role model of determination, grit, hard work, and creativity. She set the example of maintaining excellence despite the circumstances that you may find yourself in, whether it is being extremely tired, lack of money, or just spending long hours alone. I don’t think I would have known what that kind of person looked like (because it is extremely rare) had I not grown up watching her.

StitchnPost | What does the term sustainable and eco-friendly fashion mean to you?

Amara | Every decision I make as a consumer is impacted by my understanding of the interaction between what I buy (and make) and the environment. As a professional shoemaker, sustainability is something I think about all the time. Not just the supply chain of my materials, but how I run my business and how my business impacts others and other areas of my life. For the shoes themselves, they are made of leather, which will eventually biodegrade. They are also built to be repaired, so while they may be more expensive than off the rack shoes, they will last significantly longer.

Additionally, the leather I use is from the meat industry, and a way to use the entire animal. When we get to a point where there are different consumption patterns, i.e. meat is eaten less, it will be time to rethink the materials we use. I also feel that a part of eco-friendly fashion has to take into account the life and livelihood of the people making the items, not just the supply chain of the item itself. I try to buy locally and from small companies whenever possible. By supporting local craftsmen, you are supporting the life and culture of your community. As a link in that chain, I, in turn, do everything I can to keep money in the community by buying locally and supporting other professional craftsmen, like myself.

StichnPost | During this time of Covid-19, How do you keep yourself, safe, motivated all the while continuing to create?

Amara | It is hard! But, my work takes incredible amounts of focus, so in some ways, working is a helpful coping mechanism, because I have to check my anxiety at the door and completely immerse myself in whatever task is at hand.

StitchnPost | Are your designs created with a small carbon footprint in mind as-in environmentally friendly? If so, how do you strive to implement this into your work?

Amara | As a single maker, there are efficiencies that I cannot accomplish in comparison to factories who are pumping out many times what I am able to produce. But, there are significant trade-offs. I use leather that is overstock from large runs of European and American tanneries, thereby helping to reduce industrial waste. And, much of what I do is done by hand. I use few machines, use every scrap of material that comes into the workshop, and make work that will not (hopefully!) be thrown away. Additionally, I have an almost zero waste shop. I even collect the leather dust I produce to give to an artist who uses it in sculpture. The only materials thrown away are scraps too small to be used for earrings (all leather scraps are given to artists and a local repair shop), broken nails, and… that’s about it!

StitchnPost | What would you say is the most challenging about being a fashion designer and small business owner?

Amara | There are so many challenges, and my answer will vary depending on the day, and even the time of day. Today – a Monday morning when I am about to start a new pair – I would say that finding excellent materials is challenging as a maker. To talk about shoe-making as a business requires a whole other paragraph because it is so unusual in the context of the United States today. The most challenging part is that there is a misunderstanding of value and quality when it comes to my work. And, of course, it takes mental strength to both be a shoemaker and run a small business. Some days I just am tired.

In addition, the pressure to satisfy each client, each of whom has different needs. Client work is tough. If my job were just to make shoes, I would be perfectly and absolutely happy and have a lot less stress. But, making shoes for people is really challenging. I am not as interested in the business and promotional aspects of my job. My priority has always been to grow as an artist and craftsman. The business aspect of it is supportive of my growth in understanding and ability, and refinement of my skills as a maker.

StitchnPost | Name at least one fashion show that you have participated in within the last three years that keeps you motivated and interested in designing?

Amara | I am always motivated and interested in making shoes, I don’t know why. It just sparks something in me that keeps me going — probably because it is so extremely difficult that it keeps me engaged. As for an event, I’m not sure how to answer. I am motivated by my clients, by new and challenging requests, by new materials, by seeing something in nature or that someone else has made that is amazing. But, I don’t participate in fashion shows. I have been in a number of gallery shows in museums, but as good as recognition can feel, it is really something in the daily grind that keeps me going, rather than recognition.

StitchnPost | How do you determine success?

Amara | When I have met a new challenge, and when my clients walk away happy, I feel successful.

StitchnPost | Finally, what one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring footwear designer today?

Amara | Do good work, don’t take shortcuts, unless you have mastered the long way, and don’t take your mistakes personally.