Today’s handmade interview is with the wonderfully talented accessory maker, Ele from Ele Handmade. Her creations are stunning! I keep dreaming of this pair of pewter colored ballerina shoes. I think my spring kind of needs them!
Q. Hello Eleonora! Your shop is so lovely! Could you tell us a little about yourself? How did you get started making shoes?
A: Hello!! I love shoes since forever! Who doesn’t? After a degree in Industrial Design in Rome, my wish was to combine my passions and my work, so I moved to the land of shoe masters in Italy and got a specialization in shoe crafting and design! From this fabulous experience I started to work as shoe designer for big companies; since then years passed and things changed. At the moment I’m experiencing the pleasure of working directly on the crafting process by going back to small scale production, making every pair by hand (my hands!), enjoying direct contact with every single customer and trying my best to make them happy with their new shoes or accessory!
Q. What’s your favorite material to work with?
A: Every material is hiding something special to play with, doesn’t matter if it’s wood, wool, metal or textile! Drawing is my oldest passion ever, I use to draw a lot and I still love to do so! I also found that cooking is a wonderful way to express myself and I enjoy spending time in baking or doing some dishes coming from my mum’s recipes book! As you can imagine, now I’m really into working with leathers which offer an endless playground in themes of textures and colors!
Q. What’s a normal day like for you?
A: My days never miss some love, humor, delicious food, contact with nature, good books and music everywhere! I feel comfortable with keeping slow the rhythm of my life, taking my time to taste and enjoy every moment; this concerns also my work, which is an everyday pleasure for me.
Q. What inspires you most of all?
A: Nature is for me not only an infinite source of inspiration, but also a place where to feel good; it’s just so refreshing to walk or swim and let the nature suggests shapes and colors. I also find art and visuals important, but what is most of all indispensable in my daily life is music; music can shape moods and twist atmospheres, it’s absolutely essential!
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I love that you always post about such great shops and interesting people. There are so many cute items in Ele’s shop! Thanks for sharing!