The Art and Sole Academy

Specialties

The Art and Sole Academy is the first shoemaking school in Canada to offer classes and workshop for those interested in the art of shoemaking.

We also offer classes in the following areas such as sewing, leather craft, design and more!

History

Established in 2014.

The Art and Sole Academy was founded by Canadian designer and shoemaker Jennifer Allison in 2014 with the goal in mind to make shoemaking accessible to a general audience.

Meet the Business Owner

Jennifer A.

Business Owner

Jennifer fell into the footwear industry unexpectedly after studying Fashion Design at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Upon graduation she has had the opportunity to live and work throughout Canada, United States, South America, Europe and Asia fine tuning her shoemaking skills and gaining industry experience designing for various companies such as ALDO, Abercrombie and Fitch, AWAMAKI and Pour La Victoire.

Her work has been featured in many publications such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, In Style, Elle and Flare Magazine to name a few and has been worn by many reputable icons such as Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Blake Lively and Rihanna.

After working in the industry for a handful of years Jennifer decided to move to Peru to volunteer as a Designer Resident in the Sacred Valley. Falling in love with the Peruvian way of life she stayed much longer than originally planned to work with the artisans on a full-​time basis. Jennifer is currently in the process of collaborating with the