We had spent the money that we had been saving to build Steve a new kitchen on sending me to school in Italy and tuition.
When I returned Steve said I want one thing out of all this,
a pair of 70's double ring Moccasins that he
always wore in high school.
Let me preface all this by saying I'm not a maker. I learned how to make all the different styles of shoes in school so I could become a
better designer but it takes many years to become an artisan that produces the quality like the craftsman that make my shoes.
I started working on Steve's mocs. They were a design
that's been done a thousand times before and I was bored silly. Making a shoe takes a long time too. This was going to be a real moccasin
with a full leather sole and hand stitching. As I was making the moc
I had plenty of time daydreaming on how I could take this idea and
make it something you might see on the runway or red carpet.
Once finished I immediately sat down and started to create the image I had in my head. I learned different kinds of hand stitching and use the same hardware i did on the flat mocs. I then was wondering what I would use for a heel. It had to fit with my concept. By the way, Steve is the worst customer! I had to make it over three
times to make it perfect for him.
I was out in the yard doing yard work when I found a lilac
bush that had died. There were vines that had knotted themselves all around the limbs. When I was cutting it down I knew immediately.
I made the moccasin into a t-strap with a chain stitch and carved out a piece of wood from the limbs to create the heel.
When I was on Project Runway to meet Tim Gunn this was the first design he picked up. He said it was fabulous.
