In this episode Katie interviews Beatrix Ong, fellow Cordwainer and a footwear legend that has collaborated with some of the world’s most respected designers, brands and artists. She is best known for her sustainable and eco-focused practices within design, for which she has been awarded an MBE.

Step into the shoes of the sometimes author and judge of the Cordwainer Footwear Awards as she describes her personal journey from art and graphics into footwear. From wining a ‘terrifying’ magazine internship at Harpers Bazaar in New York to working with Jimmy Choo in his bespoke workshop helping produce shoes for the likes of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Later becoming Choo’s Creative Director aged just 22, helping take the brand from a small workshop to a global brand.

Katie and Beatrix talk about meeting the Queen, designing shops and the inspiration and detailing of an Ong creation. Hear how seeing the wastage in factories drove her to try to make sustainable shoes. Beatrix argues that often her low points have been the defining moments where she has taken time to ‘checked in’ with who she wants to be and her business to be. In 2002 she launched her eponymous shoe range which quickly garnered significant attention and landed her a place on the Independents newspapers Top 10 Leading Shoe Designers list, alongside Manolo Blahnik. Discover some of the challenges from running your own label to launching the company of x in 2019 – an eco-focused platform which merges design with social and environmental sustainability

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This podcast is produced by Audio Coast