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Above: The three founders: Michael, Mike and Jodie.
(All photos are courtesy of shoesofprey.com) |
In an Australian first, personalised bespoke shoes are now only a few clicks away from being on your heels. Brainchild of a trio of fashion geeks Mike Knapp, Michael Fox and Jodie Fox, www.shoesofprey.com is the portal to handcrafted shoes designed by you.
A suite of divine raw materials, including the softest calfskin, python, fishskin, silk and more in an array of candy-store colours, await the most vivid imagination and make for hours of shoe-designing bliss.
Like all good fashion projects Shoes of Prey was in stealth mode for a number of months before its big unveiling in October 2009. Over these months, the team divided and conquered - Mike began the mammoth task of building shoe design software and Michael and Jodie searched the globe for a team of artisans to make shoe-dreams come true.
"We searched Italy, India, China, United Kingdom, Australia and the United States - it sounds glamourous but I've learnt how much work goes into making beautiful shoes!" said Michael.
Back at home, Mike, a Google-trained software engineer used his skills to create a simple, online shoe design tool. As the site was prototyped and constructed, shoe designs and materials tested and refined, lucky beta testers were enlisted and momentum started to gather. Mike and Michael left their jobs at Google to work on Shoes of Prey full-time.
"The response from our "beta" testers has been off the charts," said Mike. "I never thought I'd use my computer coding skills to build something like this but I know it will change the way that people purchase shoes."
The current range offers more than 3 trillion combinations and is constantly updated. This includes flats and heel heights from a comfy 2 inch heel to the the truly glamazonian 4.5 inch heel.
"Obviously Jodie has the eye for fashion and design; we like to think of it as the perfect beauty and brains project," said Michael. Prices: Shoes of Prey's bespoke shoes cost $180 for ballet flats; $230 for 1½ to 3½ inch heels, $280 for 4 to 4½ inch heels and $330 for ankle boots.
For more information please visit www.shoesofprey.com |
Born Out of Desire: Shoes of Prey
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