(T)he (S)hoe (S)urgeon School

2016     //     Brooklyn, NYC

Custom Footwear

Deconstruction/Reconstruction mixed with Traditional Shoemaking. The TSS Sneaker School was a series 5 intensive course days. TSS team taught me how to completely deconstruct and reconstruct a pair of shoes. I learned  sewing to patterning, sole removal, lasting, skiving, and sidewall stiching.

The Brookyln Shoe Space

I chose to deconstruct a pair of old Kobe 4 'Dusty Cactus'. I used the pattern and created my version of a joker inspired sneaker boot. 

Deconstruction: 

Carefully cutting the stiching and removing piece by piece to gather all pattern pieces. 

Patterning: 

Organizing all my carfully deconstructed pieces from my Kobe shoe. Then tracing them on pattern paper and hand cutting them out. Making sure to leave markings for the stiching lines too. 

Sewing: 

Sewing together all my pattern pieces and learning how to construct different sections of the sneaker together.  

Lasting: 

Taking my sewed upper and stretching it around my size 9 last. A delicate and tedius process of lasting. The last step, not pictured was stiching the upper to the sole, by hand stiching the sidewall.  

Anatomy:

My goal was to create a custom pair of sneakerboots from a pair of used basketball sneakers. I took my inspiration from one of my favorite villain characters, The Joker. 

Final Look