Kate + Origami + A love of shoes = PaperKrane.
Kate, creative lady behind PaperKrane and her husband are kiwis and have made the big move to Melbourne.
We love it here, and have settled in quite nicely over the last year. Him with his work and sports and me with my craft markets, fabric stores and new website to look after. We both just love the creativity and beauty of the city!
Kate started PaperKrane this year out of a desire to stimulate her creative side and also create a job where she could work from home doing something she loves (folding origami and collecting shoes.)
From a young age Kate was always drawing, painting and creating… and always dreamed of making her own job. It’s taken a few years to bring it to fruition and on the way Kate has spent a lot of years studying (design), travelling and teaching (Asia), and working in numerous other jobs (NZ)! But, after a four year stint in South Korea, and a wedding in January, it was finally the right time to get the ball rolling. (Kate played decorator at my own wedding and at the end of the night her origami mobiles/creations had walked out the door with new owners! Which got Kate thinking…)
Shoes! I love shoes, and after living in Korea for years Kate has a rather large collection… Something that is really popular/common in Korea is the slipper, or kung-fu kind of shoe. Kate has several pairs, and would always wear them at work (as you have to change your shoes to indoor shoes when you go inside).
I liked the idea of having a king-fu shoe for babies (and it helps that all of my friends are having babies and we are trying for one ourselves this year) so I started to sketch a few simple patterns based on my fav pair of ‘slippers’!
I guess you could say PaperKrane is an Asia influenced idea… kung-fu booties, origami mobiles and bright contrasting patterns. It’s no wonder though, I spent five years of my life there (half of my adult life!) and I love the place!
Kate really loves what she is doing, and is busier than she had ever thought she would be and is always looking for ways to grow, change, and improve on what she is doing.
I love to take my designs as far outside the box as I can, and find those people brave enough to take them home! I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing a pair of my booties on their new owner’s feet, or getting some positive feedback from a happy parent… It makes it all worthwhile and not seem like such a crazy idea after all!
For more information on PaperKrane or to shop, head to www.paperkrane.com.au or www.facebook.com/PaperKrane
