Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Masters at Work, a new series that goes behind the scenes with leading creatives to discover the source of their inspiration. See more here.
CNN
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“I think shoes are really powerful. I think they have magical powers that other accessories don’t have,” says shoe designer Sophia Webster. “They make you physically look like the best version of yourself.”
Courtesy Hazlett Beard
Shoe designer Sophia Webster
Webster is one of the UK’s most acclaimed young design talents.
Since starting her eponymous line in 2012, the 31-year-old has been named Condé Nast Footwear Emerging Designer of the Year, won the British Fashion Award for Emerging Accessories Designer twice, and taken home the British Fashion Council’s Vogue Fashion Fund award, becoming only the second shoe designer to earn the honor.
Webster’s signature style – feminine, fantastical shoes that are heavy on embellishment and color – draws on diverse sources for inspiration. Her collections channel “Beetlejuice” one season, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and ’60s girl groups the next.
While the majority of her shoes are constructed in Brazil and sold in over 200 stores around the world, the design process still begins at Webster’s East London studio, where she draws and conceptualizes every shoe.
“I really love putting together unexpected color combinations. I like to try and be experimental and exciting in the ways that I combine colors and prints,” she says.
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Sophia Webster is an award-winning shoe and accessory designer, known for her quirky and playful designs.
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The London-born creative started her eponymous label in 2012.
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Her signature whimsical designs are heavily embellished and she is known for using a loud and vibrant color palette.
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
One can expect to see seashells, butterfly wings and bows on a Sophia Webster shoe.
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
Her latest collection for the Spring/Summer 2017 season was inspired by two films: Bill Condon's 'Dreamgirls,' and Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds.'
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
At the collection's first reveal at London Fashion Week, models showcased the products while seated in metal cages.
Sophia Webster
Webster graduated with a Fine Arts degree from the Royal College of Art, and often refers to shoes as a "blank canvas."
Sophia Webster
"Coming from a fine art background definitely makes me approach shoes in maybe a different way to other designers," Webster says.
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
"I usually start designing my collections from the most elaborate pieces and then trickle down into more wearable lower styles."
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"I really love putting together unexpected color combinations..."
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
"and I try and be experimental and exciting in the ways that I combine colors and prints."
Sophia Webster
Webster chose shoes as her canvas as she believes they have "magical powers" that make the wearer "physically look like the best version of yourself."
Sophia Webster
The 31-year-old has been named the Condé Nast Footwear Emerging Designer of the Year.
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
She has also been the recipient of the British Fashion Award for Emerging Accessories Designer twice.
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
She's also the second shoe designer ever to be awarded the British Fashion Council's Vogue Fashion Fund award.
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Since starting her label four years ago, Sophia Webster has opened 200 stores worldwide.
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Sophia Webster
Each shoe is designed in her East London studio, but is made in Brazil.
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
"I just try and be as creative as I can within the space and the technicalities of the shoemaking," says Webster.
A graduate of London’s prestigious Royal College of Art, she looks at the shoe as “a blank canvas.”
“Coming from a fine art background definitely makes me approach shoes in maybe a different way to other designers,” she explains. “I usually start designing my collections from the most elaborate pieces and then trickle down into more wearable lower styles.
“I just try and be as creative as I can within the space and the technicalities of the shoemaking.”
Watch the video above for further insight into the work of Sophia Webster.