Putting her bright foot forward
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Joanne Stoker
When Joanne Stoker took the Design Katha platform on the final day of Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF), the luxury footwear designer was a radiant glow of colour down to her quirkily elegant red and zebra striped shoes with a printed pearl heel. The only way one can describe Joanne’s style is simply- colourful.
The established British designer first entered the fashion scene in 2009. With several awards under her belt and mentored by the legendary Jimmy Choo, Joanne’s passion for colour, history and fun is evident in her designs. Her work ranges from 60’s inspired pompoms bouncing on the back of a loafer, Powerpuff Girl inspired clogs or voluptuous pink bows on flamboyant heels straight out of an Oscar Wilde novel. Joanne’s unique inspiration for shoe design goes back to her childhood and a bright pink Barbie shoe.
Growing up in the 80’s Joanne was always surrounded by clothes and designing. “My mum was always making our clothes,” she recalls and she herself got her first sewing machine when she was seven years old. Growing up in a time when fashion was very androgynous Joanne’s favourite piece of clothing was a pair of bright fuchsia heels her mother owned. With a designer mother and an engineer father “I learnt what I needed both as a designer and entrepreneur,” she says, a point she feels, many budding designers forget.
With a brand that has reached its seventh year in business, Joanne has since navigated the biggest obstacle faced by many a footwear designer. “Sometimes I use just a hint of bright colour. It needs to be wearable,” she says of her more subtle designs which while elegant still maintain their oomph factor with a spark of cherry red or a daring heel. But even her unique colour blends and combinations are based on some sort of a theory. Her personal inspiration comes from Joseph Albers’ Colour Theory. “I can never really say whether a combination will work or not,” she admits, but she never mixes colours with different undertones, which she feels is a cardinal mistake.
While her brand of luxury footwear doesn’t always attract the working Londoner, Joanne has found her niche market for her exotic and vibrant brand in the Middle East and India. Her last few collections have found her collaborating with other names in the field. “I always feel that two heads are better than one,” she smiles, collaborating, she feels allowing one to grow and learn more as a young designer. “You can’t forget it’s a business at the end of the day,” she adds, citing practicality, shares, collaborators and other non-design elements which need to be balanced alongside the creative process.
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