But today, so many of those trades have vanished. The skills that once sustained whole communities are quietly disappearing.
That’s one of the reasons I do what I do.
Like many young people, I left my village after school. In my twenties and early thirties, I lived what many would call a dream life: university and career in Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.
Weekends were for the good life: dinners out, and whenever possible, an escape to Italy, the country that had held my heart since the very first visit.
It was on one of those trips that I discovered something that never left me: a tiny sandal shop in Positano.
Inside, an artisan was crafting custom sandals — exquisite, personal, made in minutes as I watched.
I had never seen anything like it. I remember thinking, "this is incredible" … and then "one day, I’ll learn how to do this."
Of course, I had a pair made. I still have them, timeless, worn, and as beautiful as ever.
And that "one day" finally came, years later.
By then, I was married and had become a mum. And everything had shifted.
The pace and values of the corporate world no longer fit.
So we made a bold decision: to move across the world
to Australia’s Sunshine Coast longing for a slower, more intentional life for our family.
I knew I wouldn’t return to my corporate career.Â
I wanted to be at home, present with my children, who were just two and four at the time. And still, I felt the pull to create something of my own.
Something I could grow slowly, with care and intention. From home. Alongside motherhood.
That’s when I remembered the craft I had fallen in love with years earlier on the Amalfi Coast: the art of bespoke Italian sandal making.
What followed was a two-year journey of deep immersion.
Months of research. Multiple trips back to Italy. A long search for the right mentors and trusted suppliers. Countless hours of trial and error.
Eventually, I had the privilege of learning from a father and son — master artisans who entrusted me with their generational knowledge. That was in 2014.
Since then, I’ve spent a decade building my own artisanal business here in Australia, crafting sandals for women in my community, teaching local workshops, and, in time, mentoring women from around the world.
Today, Sandal School holds all of that.
I guide creative women in mastering the craft of bespoke Italian sandal making — women who want to create something lasting, meaningful, and refined, using the same time-honoured techniques once entrusted to me.
Together, we’re shaping a modern artisan movement: one that honours tradition and reimagines what it means to build with purpose.
In a world chasing trends that fade quickly, we’re choosing to create what’s personal and made to last.
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