In this episode, Katie speaks to Helen Kirkum, London based artist and designer and the inaugural winner of the Cordwainers Footwear Award in 2014. Helen has developed a unique formular learnt from manufacturing to deconstruct and reconstruct footwear utilising recycled and dead stock. She has the ability to tell the most incredible stories through her work and started her own studio in 2019.

Katie and Helen discuss what first inspired Helen’s journey into footwear and specifically attending the course at the University of Northampton, in the UK’s footwear manufacturing mecca. They discuss the opportunities Helen grasped with both hands from the Cordwainer Footwear Award to winning an internship at Adidas in Germany, exhibiting as part of the Sneakers Unboxed Exhibition at the Design Museum to launching her new bespoke range at London Fashion Week. She emphasis the importance each of these were in spurring her on to the next step and boosting confidence in her ideas for her brand.

Helen speaks passionately about the post-consumer waste in the industry and her drive to upcycle and be sustainable, both in designs and as a business. The importance of demonstrating and slower, smaller way of creating a brand, working with charities can still work. Listen to discover more about her design influences, planning what you are doing with your brand, knowledge sharing and top tips for budding students on how to network. Find out more about mentoring slots for young designers and downloadable workshops such as her sneaker sculptures.§

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This podcast is produced by Audio Coast