HOLLYWOOD SHOE DESIGNER CELEBRATES SUCCESS

By ANN BROWN

LØVCHLD designer, artist, and photographer Latoya Shaw wants to share her celebrity-collected shoes she paints by hand that are flying off the shelves and onto the red carpet. In addition to custom shoe commissions, she sells one-of-a-kind designs in various sizes on her website, www. lovchld.com

No human is alike, and therefore, no shoe is alike. Each shoe Lotoya designs highlights the individuality of the person wearing them—a celebration of life to journey through proudly with a flare of liberation and wit. The ingredients include bright colors and edgy tones –an attempt to create an ethereal appeal with punk qualities.

When Latoya established LØVCHLD, it came from a place of immense grief. She had never really been faced with a more accurate understanding of her ability to overcome heartbreak until someone she loved and connected to passed away. She wanted to find peace, and in doing so, found herself transmuting her feelings onto various shoe canvases, meditating through creative exploration and using different techniques of organizing colors to create a captivating visual experience. Thus, encouraging people to feel a sense of joy as they forge ahead on any given path.

Growing up in a single-parent household in Sydney, Australia, and being among one of the only Biracial students at the Private School she attended made it impossible to be like everybody else. On this journey, she reclaimed her strength by tuning into her inner child and embracing everything that set her apart. This is the message that Latoya aims to encourage through her shoe designs. The difference is critical.

Throughout her life, she found that the people she respected most were the ones that were willing to go against the grain to live their lives with integrity. In a homogenous world, LØVCHLD allows the inner child to emerge so you can remember and walk in the shoes of the human you are.