Meet Shoe School, the Melbourne workshops where you can create the footwear of your dreams
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Tatanja Ross
WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE
“I wanted to create an entry point for aspiring shoemakers that was accessible, fun and super creative.”
Earlier this year, a post from Australian content creator Flex Mami caught my attention. It was a video of her creating a pair of custom sneakers from scratch, choosing everything from the colour of the stitching to the type of leather and the placement of the bows she decorated them with.
As it turns out, she was attending a one-day sneaker-making class at the recently launched Melbourne business Shoe School. Founded by experienced leather goods maker and teacher Lou Clifton, it offers an array of workshops where attendees can learn to make their own pair of boots, sneakers, sandals or a harness.
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While Shoe School is new to Melbourne, Lou originally launched it nine years ago in New Zealand. Now, after endless requests to bring it to Australia, she’s set up shop in her new Abbotsford studio. Below, she tells us how Shoe School started and what people can expect from her workshops.
Hi Lou! Can you tell us a bit about your fashion background? Have you always been interested in footwear in particular?
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I studied photography and fashion design at uni. I always had shoe obsessions and wanted to learn shoemaking but at the time it wasn’t a possibility in New Zealand. I found a book in an op shop about making your own shoes and emailed the author who recommended I do a short course in Hobart. I was hooked.
What is Shoe School all about, and what inspired you to create it?
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I teach a range of shoemaking workshops for all levels of experience. I launched the business in New Zealand in 2015. My Melbourne workshop opened in February 2023 in Abbotsford. I launched Shoe School around the time of the ‘maker’s movement’ trend and the rise of Etsy.
People were looking for DIY alternatives to mass-produced goods and methods. Getting into shoemaking can be a bit intimidating and I wanted to create an entry point for aspiring shoemakers that was accessible, fun and super creative.
Tell us about the different workshops you have on offer and what skill levels they’re suited to.
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I currently offer boot, sandal, sneaker and harness workshops. They range from evening sessions to one to five days and they’re all suitable for beginners, though I do recommend the one-day sneaker workshops if you’re brand new to crafts. I also run collab workshops with Melbourne creatives such as Post Sole Studio and Sacreflux.
What should attendees bring (if anything) to one of your workshops?
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Just themselves! I give students some design parameters and templates prior to the workshop so they know what to expect. But I also tell them not to concern themselves if they haven’t prepared – it’s my job to help people through the design and construction process.
What makes the shoes you create stand out?
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It’s probably the huge range of design ideas that I’m able to help students realise. I’m always working on the structure of the workshops so that students have the time and assistance they need to develop their projects. No two pairs of shoes are ever the same!
Find out more about Shoe School’s workshops here.
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