Toronto-based shoe blog documenting shoes, trends, celebs, street style & funny shoes!
Shoes for a Cause
Talenthouse + UGG Australia = Shoe Design Contest!
Dec 6th
Itching to be a shoe designer or already are? This could be your big break! talenthouse is working with UGG® Australia, inviting you to unleash your creativity on a pair of signature UGG boots in the ninth annual ‘Art and Sole’ charitable contest.
Apply your own style & craft while reflecting the company’s ‘California Dream’ spring inspiration for the chance to have your design produced & sold in UGG Australia retail locations across America in 2012. What else? The winner will receive $5,000, a complimentary pair of UGG Australia boots & UGG bag. But the best part? You’ll garner global exposure &recognition by having your design promoted across UGG Australia’s social media channels & on Uggaustralia.com. Not a bad addition to an artist or designer’s portfolio now is it?
As well, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the boots will be donated to The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
So why not get creative while supporting a cause? Visit Talenthouse.com for submission guidelines, deadline & more!
xo ShoeTease
Manitobah Mukluks Pow Wow & Snowshoe Air Guitar
Dec 4th
Host Waneek & Performers
Last Wednesday, The Bata Shoe Museum opened its Toronto doors to the Manitobah Mukluks Pow Wow event. Not one to attend many parties these days, I happily dragged my very preggers self & stylish partner in crime Amanda to the former Olympian Waneek Horn-Miller hosted party, to sneak a peak at the new Mukluk collection & gaze at both contemporary & traditional handmade styles.
I’m not gonna lie: knowing more about Manolos than Mukluks, I was intrigued to learn more about their rich cultural history & transition from traditional footwear worn by Canada’s First Peoples to the urban Vibram™-soled designs of today. Unlike other high fashion winter boot companies, Manitobah Mukluks are not only made in Canada, but the brand is highly involved in creating business partnerships within Aboriginal communities & supporting Aboriginal non-profit organizations though their partnership with CAHRD.
So why not stay warm with beautifully handcrafted footwear that is born out of history & does some good?
Amanda & I goofing off in front of the camera
Below are my favourite Manitobah Mukluks boot styles from the current collection:
Metis Mukluk with Vibram outsole in Tan
Mid Classic Mukluk – Charcoal & Black
Where to buy: Manitobah online store or check out the store listings for a retailer near you.
A big thanks to the great people at Lotus Leaf Communications for the invite!
Photo Credits: Manitobah.ca
xo ShoeTease
Canned! Giant McQueen Armadillo Heels in New York
Nov 13th
Talk about massive shoe art for a great cause! One of Canstructions‘, can constructions are two statues of the Alexander McQueen shoes Lady Gaga made famous – the “Armadillo” heels. Designed by Arup and Kohn Pederson Fox respectively, these canned sculptures are on display in NYC for the 19th Annual Canstruction Exhibition, which features 26 gargantuan sculptures created by architecture & design firms. Wish I were near NYC to see these!
The exhibition is free & open to the public until November 21st. The purpose of this display? The 100,000 cans, which will be given to City Harvest just in time for American Thanksgiving, will help local community food programs. Last year, the program raised over 2 Million pounds of food!
Visit the Arts World Financial Centre online for more info, including location & exhibit hours.
Photo Credits – CocoPerez
xo ShoeTease
“30 Days/30 Ways” Contest with Socially Conscious Sseko Sandals!
Sep 13th
Sseko Design’s 30 Ways 30 Days Contest ends today, so hurry up!! 4 lucky winners will walk away with limitless possibilities in the form of free straps for a year! All you need to do is Like Ssekos on Facebook & simply upload your pics of the 30 ways in which you’d wear your Ssekos! Simple 
Sseko sandals (pronounced say-ko) other than being great quality, fun & versatile, are amazing as they are hand-made by female graduates from Kampala, Uganda secondary school for a nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women won’t make shoes forever, either. They will go on to become doctors, lawyers, politicians etc, that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.
The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda. Now that’s pretty fantastic!
Check out Sseko’s website for all details & lovely strap color options
xo ShoeTease
