LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock woman’s custom shoe business, Patchwork Kicks, has grown from a local idea into an internationally sold product, with do-it-yourself kits now shipping to Canada, New Zealand and across Europe.
Natalie Buxkemper, owner of The Sewing Studio on the South Loop, started Patchwork Kicks about a year ago. The business gives customers the ability to create one-of-a-kind shoes using their own fabric and design choices.
“It started with a simple idea, and it’s really become this national product that people all over the place here creating their own kicks and using their own fabrics and ideas,” Buxkemper said.
Buxkemper offers in-person classes that guide participants through the process, from selecting fabric to sewing the exterior of the shoe and assembling the final product. For those unable to attend in person, the kits include instructional videos.
“It’s been really neat to see the creativity involved in creating the shoes and where people take it,” she said.
Buxkemper said the process does not require advanced sewing skills.
“This is not something that, you have to be certainly super skilled at,” she said.
Buxkemper credited the local community as the foundation of the business’s growth.
“Everyone’s always so involved and just everyone coming together and trying out the kicks and coming to class and being a part of our community is really the base that makes all of this happen,” she said.
For those considering pursuing a business idea of their own, Buxkemper offered this: “Like if you have something that you believe that you have a good idea like reach for it.”
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