Where It All Began...

Where It All Began...

This month we're celebrating Sneaker Stitch, and I thought it was the perfect time to share a little more about me. People often ask how I got into this business, but the truth is, I don't really remember a time when I wasn't surrounded by making things. I was always a crafty kid.

My mum made one of Australia's very first handmade soaps, and for over 15 years our family travelled the markets together. When I was old enough, I even ran Mum's market stall in Brisbane City. My nana also owned one of the first health food stores in Australia, so I grew up in a family where making things yourself wasn't a trend. It was just how life was. Wholesome and joyful!

We were a little bit hippie, a little bit creative, and completely hands-on. Sewing, baking, crochet, knitting, pottery, macrame, gardening, camping, fishing... creating with your own two hands was simply part of everyday family life.

As I got older, my career took me into retail management, shopping centre management and business development. I loved helping small businesses grow. The big shopping centres? Not so much. It was always the small business owners with big dreams that inspired me most x

Eventually I came back to what I loved most. A creative life!

I opened Sewing Adventures in Brisbane, a learn-to-sew studio where I spent almost eight years teaching thousands of adults and children to sew. It wasn't just about making projects. It was about giving people confidence and showing them they could create something themselves.

Those years will always be some of the proudest of my career... life, though, has a way of changing your plans...

By early 2025, I knew life was changing. I was grieving the loss of parents who passed within 6 weeks of each other in late 2024. My sewing studio was coming to an end, and although that was a tough decision, another door had already started to open.

One afternoon after Christmas, I was scrolling through my emails when something completely stopped me in my tracks. Quilted sneakers! They combined so many of the things I love... shoes, fabric, sewing... and, if you know me, flowers too. I was completely obsessed.

My business development brain immediately kicked into gear, and before I knew it, I was down a rabbit hole trying to figure out where they came from and how I could bring them to Australia.

That search led me to Roderick Peters in the Netherlands, the creator of Sneaker Kit. His designs were unlike anything I'd ever seen.

Every detail had been carefully considered. The custom-moulded soles. The heel tabs. The pre-punched stitching holes. The beautifully engineered construction. Even today, I honestly believe they're the best DIY sneaker system anywhere in the world.

It wasn't as simple as placing an order. There were months of conversations, plenty of questions, a few hurdles, and a lot of persistence. But eventually, I was incredibly proud to become the Australian distributor for Sneaker Kit.

The funny part? While I was ordering my very first shipment, I already knew my sewing studio would soon be closing. Without even realising it, I was building the next chapter of my life.

Building Sneaker Stitch wasn't just about importing a great product. It was about creating something that felt uniquely Australian, something that celebrated makers, creativity and the simple joy of making something you could wear with pride.

If I'm honest, who starts a brand-new creative business in Australia in 2025? Looking back now, I still laugh and think... apparently I do.

I believed in Sneaker Kit from the moment I discovered it, and I still believe it's one of the best DIY sneaker systems in the world. That belief is what kept me going through the many months of planning, designing, and refining before we ever launched.

There was so much more involved than simply importing sneaker soles. We developed our own Maker's Kits, tested patterns, made countless sample shoes, worked with test groups, rewrote instructions, built a brand-new website and spent months asking ourselves how we could introduce an entirely new craft to Australia. We wanted the experience to feel approachable, exciting and inspiring for anyone who loved sewing and making.

Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing. We launched into a difficult economy, found ourselves competing against cheaper copycat products, and tried to convince people that, yes, you really could make your own sneakers. There were plenty of moments when I questioned whether I was completely mad, but every challenge reminded me why I'd started in the first place.

Sneaker Stitch was built because I genuinely believe there's something special about making things yourself. It's not just about the finished shoes. It's about choosing a fabric that makes you smile, learning a new skill, creating something that's completely unique and then walking out the door wearing something you've made with your own two hands.

We've made the range our own, and we'll continue to do that. We have new patterns on the way, new tools in development, and plenty of ideas we're excited to share over the coming months. Like every small business, we're always learning, improving, and looking for ways to make the experience even better.

As we celebrate another birthday, I want to say thank you. Thank you for supporting a small Australian business, for believing in handmade, for sharing your creations, and for being part of this wonderful community. We may never be perfect, but we care deeply about what we do, and we're incredibly grateful that you've chosen to be part of the Sneaker Stitch story.

Here's to everything we've created together, and to the next chapter.


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