One On One With LØVCHLD Shoe Designer Latoya Shaw

LØVCHLD shoe designer, artist, and photographer Latoya Shaw’s custom shoes (that she paints by hand) are flying off the shelves and onto the red carpet. In addition to custom shoe commissions, she sells one-of-a-kind designs in various sizes on her website, www.lovchld.com.

No human is alike, and therefore, no shoe is alike. Each shoe is designed to highlight the individuality of the person wearing them—a celebration of life to journey through proudly with a flare of liberation and wit. The ingredients include bright colors and edgy tones – an attempt to create an ethereal appeal with punk qualities.

When Latoya established LØVCHLD, it came from a place of immense grief. She had never really been faced with a more accurate understanding of her ability to overcome heartbreak until someone she loved and connected to passed away. She wanted to find peace, and in doing so, found herself transmuting her feelings onto various shoe canvases; meditating through creative exploration and using different techniques of organizing colors to create a captivating visual experience. Thus, encouraging people to feel a sense of joy as they forge ahead on any given path.

Growing up in a single-parent household in Sydney, Australia, and being among one of the only Biracial students at the Private School she attended made it impossible to be like everybody else. On this journey, she reclaimed her strength by tuning into her inner child and embracing everything that set her apart. This is the message that Latoya aims to encourage through her shoe designs. The difference is critical.

Throughout her life, she found that the people she respected most were the ones that were willing to go against the grain to live their lives with integrity. In a homogenous world, LØVCHLD allows the inner child to emerge so you can remember and walk in the shoes of the human you are.

StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Latoya to discuss her journey in the entertainment industry, and here’s what went down:

What are you currently doing to maintain/grow LØVCHLD?

There are so many moving parts to my vision for this brand. Along with posting the designing process and my shoes on social media and speaking to onlookers about what LØVCHLD is about. Simultaneously, I’ve been working on my Short Film Love Child, based on a poem I wrote and directed about my life, being biracial, growing up in a single-parent household, and how that shaped my attitude towards relationships with myself and others. It’s a tale about triumph through adversity and a love letter to my inner child. This is the genesis of my brand and the poetic expression behind why and how I create. Working on the film and exploring my artistry through other mediums, such as photography and collaborating with other artists, is how I have committed myself to growing L Ø V C H L D.

What social media platforms do you usually use to increase LØVCHLD’s awareness?

Instagram has been my one and only platform. Between creating a unique concept for each shoe and then figuring out the whole social media landscape, IG gave me the basic tools I needed to figure out my aesthetic, splice up some reels and throw an extension of my creativity into cyberspace.

What is your experience with paid advertising, like PPC or sponsored content campaigns? Does it work?

Honestly, I haven’t ventured into that yet. Until now, my main focus has been on growing my vision and maintaining inspiration by collaborating with like-minded individuals. Through this, I feel like a lot of cool opportunities have come my way.

I believe that paid partnerships belong to the next chapter and I’m excited to see how it works out.

What form of marketing has worked well for LØVCHLD throughout the years?

Word of mouth has proven to be really effective as well as Tagging. During quarantine, I printed out a large L Ø V C H L D stencil and went out into Hollywood, tagging the sidewalks. I can’t tell you how many people Dm’d me with pictures and boomerangs; it was so exciting. I wanted to establish this as an underground thing, like “if you know you know”. I draw a lot of inspiration from the 60’s New York underground art scene; a period where Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick celebrated art for art’s sake. Later on, there was the ingenuity of Basquiat and the whole Neo-expressionist Movement. Ultimately, I felt like the people who got it would catch on.

What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?

Building LØVCHLD has been an interesting journey, and for a long time, I have been content painting on existing shoes. For me, the toughest decision has been shifting gears and transitioning my focus toward creating my own custom shoes to power my brand with another layer of innovation.

What new business would you love to start?

With the amount of heart and creativity, I’ve put into this business; I can’t even begin to envision creating a new business at this juncture. This brand encompasses all the things I love most. Whenever I feel uninspired, I lean into my photography, writing, or filmmaking, and luckily all of that falls into what I’ve created here, and I’m just getting started.

If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?

Absolutely Nothing. I picked myself up when times were rough, I was scared, but I did it anyway, and because of how my path has lined up, I learned so much about myself with each curveball thrown in my direction.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Much better to try and fail than to live a life of regret.

What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?

I would encourage them to roll with the punches and make the most out of every situation to prove to themselves what opportunities they can create from the best and worst situations. It’s not easy, but it’s not meant to be, so have fun with it! Throw a bunch of your crazy ideas out there and see what happens.