Designer Q&A – Andrew McDonald, Bespoke Shoe Designer

We’ve profiled fashion designers, creative brand directors and accessories designers, but poor old shoes have been left out! So today, we speak to Andrew McDonald, bespoke shoemaker and owner of Andrew McDonald Shoemakers.

Started By Andrew in a small workshop in Sydney’s Paddington designing handcrafted shoes for men and women, as well as a main collection line AND courses to teach you how to build your own dream pair of shoes (seriously, how cool would that be?)

How did you come to be a shoe designer?
I meet a shoemaker in London, Paul Harnden whose business model became an  inspiration.  So I decided to go to footwear school here in Sydney. I then travelled on a Churchill Fellowship to understudy at Mastercraftsman shoemakers in London and Paris.  This is how I started my business.

Can you walk us through the process of bespoke shoes? How does it all work?
A Bespoke shoe  is a shoe that is specifically designed for the customer. This can mean the style the fit and the materials.  Inherently bespoke shoes are hand made to order.

And the collection process – where do you get your inspiration?
My main inspirations are the issues surrounding global warming and the current financial crisis.  The current range is called “Off Centre “as a result all the design lines on the shoes are off centre twisted and skewed.  There has been a conscious decision   to build sustainability into the shoes by using ethically produced all leather materials and hand construction techniques.

It’s no longer good enough to produce good quality comfortable shoes.  You need to have the additional element of design that separates your shoes from all the others.

In your opinion, best current shoe trend? Worst current shoe trend?
The worst trend is that generally most shoes today are about the design of the style only. Considerations about the fit comfort and quality of materials seem of little importance.  The best trend is the growing interest uniquely designed shoes whether handmade or manufactured.

What are the best and worst parts of owning your own shop/work shop?
The best aspect is that you have direct contact with your customer enabling you to build relationships and gauge design feedback immediately. The worst aspect is that your space becomes public domain which can mean endless interruptions.

If you had the choice of all designers in the world to work with/for, would that person be your choice??
Carol Christian Poell

All time favourite shoe design?
My current design the Foldover shoe

What has been the biggest lesson you have learnt being in the fashion industry?
Don’t follow fashion; borrow ideas, then create your own identity.

Want more?
To check out the current Ready to Wear range of Andrew McDonald  Shoes, get information and book a bespoke session OR book yourself into a shoemakers course, visit the Andrew McDonald Website