Photo courtesy of Latoya Shaw
LØVCHLD is a fashion brand created by Latoya Shaw which specializes in hand-painted customized shoes.
After the loss of a lover in 2019, she remembers pouring her pain into painting and using shoes as a canvas. She and her ex once had matching pairs of Chuck Taylors which helped to spark the idea for her brand.
Now Shaw makes shoes for others to bring out their inner child after learning how to tune into hers. Her one true goal is to help others accept themselves as they are.
Photo courtesy of Latoya Shaw
Do you feel like your shoe painting style has changed?
Well, I feel like there was a process of just using the shoes as a canvas, painting on them, and throwing [in]a bunch of colors. As I continued through quarantine and sitting on my kitchen floor painting because none of my furniture had come [yet], I started to get more intricate with my style and figure out what kind of patterns I can make with the paint. [When it comes to] splattering, how to apply it when I layer the different colors and how to kind of create more of an aesthetic. It’s not just painted splatter, but it has more of a vibe.
What does the term inner child mean to you?
The inner child to me is the core of who you are before the world kind of came and broke you. The innocence and faithfulness of all of that that comes with that stage of your life. So, I think that’s what inner child means to me, and I like to play in that space a lot. I feel like I can get in touch with that when I am painting. It kind of feels like meditation for me to just be able to sit down for hours and just focus on color, being dirty, messy, and playing.
What message do you want people to take away from your brand?
I just want people to be proud of who they are. I feel like I spent a lot of time not liking myself and being angry. I feel like I needed to go through all those stages, but ultimately at the end of the day I feel like I’m finally in a place where I f[am]happy to be me and that’s my wish for others. To take the good and the bad, roll with the punches, and keep going because it gets better. It’s worth it, you have one life so you have to have fun with it.
Watch the full interview below.
