A 20-YEAR-OLD woman from Cleator Moor has decided to take her hobby to the next level and create a business from it.
After creating some form of art from a young age, but being clueless about where to take it and what area to focus on, Kate Park put her skills to the test and has started her own side venture in shoe design.
Kate started KP Designs, where a customer will choose a design they want and she will paint this on their own trainers for a price quoted based on the hours it’ll take and amount of material being used.
Another option, is that the customer will pay the price for both the design and the shoes, in which case Kate orders the trainers for them before painting them.
All pieces are hand painted without stencilling.
After seeing trainers sold in a range of colours, Kate had the idea to create her own styles and after designing some shoes for family members as presents, she thought that she would branch out and try to make it a little venture!
Kate currently works as a part-time lifeguard, so she finds it really important to set a schedule for when she will focus on designing.
Kate said: "They take longer than you would imagine and I can be an award-worthy procrastinator!"
"The first pair I made (Toy Story-themed) took around 11 hours total painting time across 4-5 days because of the detail and layers needed, plus they were so tiny and intricate as they were for a 2-year-old,so I have to be strict with setting aside time to design!"
Kate wants to ensure that she keeps her business personal, and enjoys seeing people’s faces when they see the product knowing it was a customised piece just for them.
Although Kate is only 20, she finds it rewarding to have this side venture, especially at such a young age.
She said: "It feels pretty rewarding being able to have this little side business at this age because I know it’s something I’ve done independently and it’s just nice to see what I can do by myself and show myself that I’m capable!
"I did do art previously in school for GCSE, but I didn’t actually enjoy it that much! Mostly because it was more of following a guide than finding an individual creative path."
Kate has her fingers crossed for the future. She said: "Although, of course I’d really love to grow my business as big as possible and see how it can expand, I’m also just really excited to try new designs out and see how far I can push myself with this project and hope to have some happy new customers!
"It’d be cool to see people out and about in trainers I know i designed."
You can find Kate's business page on Facebook under 'KP Designs.'
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