About the studio
A shoemaking studio in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Shoe Space is a shoemaking studio in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We teach classes, share a fully equipped workshop with independent makers, and bring together people who work in footwear.
The studio
A classroom and a shared workshop, open since 2014
Brooklyn Shoe Space started as a place where shoemakers could share machines, tools and what they know. It still works that way. Students learn here, members work here, and people from across the footwear industry come through to teach, prototype and hire.
What happens here
Education
Classes start with your first pair and go all the way up: advanced intensives, specialized techniques, and workshops taught by visiting master shoemakers.
Workspace
Independent makers work here on their own terms, with bench space, studio access, and the shared industrial equipment a home workshop cannot hold.
Community
Talks, events and collaborations give footwear people a place to meet, trade what they know, and build things together.
Industry
Designers and brands prototype here, professionals keep their skills current, and we connect makers with the footwear companies looking for them.
Scholarships
Cost shouldn’t decide who gets to make
We offer scholarships to people who couldn’t otherwise afford a class. They are paid for by the studio’s supporters on Patreon.
To apply, send us one sketch of the shoe you want to make and a short video about yourself.
Two scholarships a year
One for makers 17 and under, one for makers 18 and over.
Funded by supporters
Everything patrons give on Patreon goes directly to the scholarship fund.
A sketch of what you want to make and a short video about you
Send both through the application form before the deadline.
The founder
Founded by shoemaker and educator Keiko Hirosue-Korolev
Keiko took her first shoemaking course in 2003 and has worked in footwear for more than twenty years since, in shoemaking, product development and manufacturing, for independent makers, fashion brands and footwear companies.
She opened Brooklyn Shoe Space in 2014 to pass that experience on, and she still teaches classes at the studio, as well as at Parsons and FIT.
Who we’ve shared the space with
Brands, schools and makers we’ve shared the studio with
Brands + Industry
- 3.1 Philip Lim
- Adidas
- Nike
- New Balance
- Coach
- Cole Haan
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Steve Madden
- Sam Edelman
- Eileen Fisher
- Patagonia
- Vibram
Education
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Parsons School of Design | New School
- Pratt Institute
- Columbia University
- Harvard University
- Drexel University
- Northwestern University
- Jefferson University
- Cooper Hewitt Design Museum
- The Met
Makers + Creatives
- Comunity Made
- Lauren Manoogian
- Emme Parsons
- Tom Sachs
- Veerah Shoes
- Nene Shoes
- IMADETHATBAG
- Volver Workshop
- Visionquest Shoes
- Magnus Alpha
Press
What’s been written about the studio
Watch“Turning a curiosity into a craft, and growing a community.”
Watch“Keiko split her childhood between the United States and Japan. She recalls what it was like being a "returnee" in Japan and why she chose to live her adulthood in Brooklyn, NY.”
Watch“A shoemaker and founder of Brooklyn Shoe Space, a collective, community, and classroom celebrating the art of shoemaking.”
“Former employees of big shoe brands are hoping they can change the industry, one step at a time.”
“Here, women realize that we don't have to do it all alone. We support each other. No one is competing. We hold space for each and every designer.”
Watch“We don't have a lot of space in our apartments to make a mess. Highlighting member Temis Galindo Director of Volver Workshop. She seeked out space that had resources and community to delve into her passion full-time.”
“With American-made footwear accounting for less than 2% of the market today, shoemaking is more or less a lost art in this country.”
“If Christian Louboutin or Manolo Blahnik can't fill your footwear fantasies, Brooklyn Shoe Space is here to help.”
“The Brooklyn Shoe Space is a membership-based shared work space for shoemakers and leather workers alike to gather, share tips and get down to work on their latest leather and shoe projects.”
“Once you start making shoes, you get hooked.”