More than a dozen high-end shoe shops and boutiques have been opened by Shoe Designer Nora Haron of Alameda nationwide and in Canada.
She is planning to carry her summer 2007 collection of women's footwear in February.
Nora designs shoes but has no formal design education.
Despite the lack of a formal design education, Haron was fast to break into her new career inside the shoe fashion industry, armed with passion, some childhood skills and support from family and friends.
Haron set out to look for manufacturers in several countries in the Far East through the help of relatives and found a factory in Indonesia.
Nora would send the factory sketches of sandals, which she accessorized with beads, sequins and seashells.
Singapore born and bred artist desires to give women the choice of wearing them at the beach and for an evening party.
She enjoyed seeing everything from paper to reality and felt wonderful.
Only a year after she dreamed about designing shoes, samples of her first shoe line including 100 pairs with 12 different styles was out.
Feeling ready to take it to the next level, Haron switched to a prominent shoemaker in Italy, and even upgraded her accessories and material, including abalone shells, calf leather, natural linen in earth-toned colors and snakeskin.
Haron flew to Florence, Italy, where she spent a week at the factory, which built the footwear she designed, cutting leather and hammering nails in shoes, among other things. It helped her hone her designing skills.
A month later, Haron became runner-up for the prestigious Glass Slipper Award from Collections at WSA, the worldwide luxury and designer showcase in Las Vegas, in the Best Exhibitor Suite category.
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