I’ve always loved creating with my hands; growing up on the tiny island of Sark there was little else to do as a child, but to be on the beach or in the woods collecting objects and making things with them. The making itself was often rudimentary, but the process was always fulfilling.

I first moved to London and did a foundation course at St. Martin’s School of Art before heading north for a degree in Fashion Design & Marketing. R.E. Tricker’s kindly helped to produce my final degree collection and it was there that the idea of becoming a handsewn shoemaker was born. After eight years in public relations I won a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust scholarship, which launched me on that path, training for four years under a master shoemaker.

Being a bespoke shoemaker is a privilege. I get to work with a skilled team and the best quality materials to make our shoes; to meet interesting people; work with amazing manufacturers and suppliers; to share my knowledge with the next generation; and to be part of a supportive shoemaking community.

I’m a very practical, pragmatic person, so I believe that a shoe needs to function - to hold the foot and to carry the wearer comfortably. But I also appreciate the balance and flow of a beautifully designed shoe. Footwear is where the devil is in the detail because of its scale, so I’m looking forward to up-scaling our skills and techniques on the bandstand chair, working predominantly in oak bark leather.

I’m not so sure where my love of chairs comes from, but there is certainly something similar in their scale and the tension between visual appeal and functionality, that appeals to me as a shoe maker. My Hans Wegner book of chairs is a treasured possession.