“The ‘S’ in the cobra was just always something that stuck in my head and when I first started doing a logo for my business, the heel was always an ‘S’ and I was like, ‘Man, I gotta make it an ‘S’ like the Shelby cobra’ and then it just became Shelby’s,” she said. She said she plans to make Shelby’s Stiletto Factory a safe space for people to create without worrying about what others think. She plans to host shoemaking and tutu-creating classes and even install dancing poles. “Make your tutu, bring your own wine - I can’t provide wine but I’ll be able to pour it for you and then make your tutu and then go twirl,” Wheeler giggles. “Sounds like fun to me!” Aside from shoemaking classes, Wheeler plans on making custom and handmade shoes. Handmade shoes start at $650. Custom-made shoes - where the leather, toe shape and heel height are all decided upon by the customer - start at $1,000. “The price of your leather is going to drive the price,” she said. “So, if you want a really exotic eel skin on the front with ostrich on the back, you’re looking at another $400 to $500 in leather.” Wheeler said someone who’s going to pay good money for a good shoe has a different mindset than most people. “If somebody said, ‘Oh that’s a great top,’ I’ll go, ‘Yeah, it was on the clearance rack at Macy’s, originally 60 bucks and I got it for 18,’” she said. “Those who shop for custom shoes have the opposite mindset. They want to say, ‘I had this custom-made for my foot and I picked out everything about it. That’s my favorite color and it took me sixth months to get it,’” she said. Wheeler said one of her slogans is “She doesn’t have everything. Women who would receive a gift of a diamond tennis bracelet at $1,200 probably have a diamond tennis bracelet already. She doesn’t have this (custom heels),” she gleamed as she held her foot up to show off her high-heel. Wheeler adds she wants to make shoes that are stylish and comfortable - more than something that’s just trendy on a runway. “I want to make something that’s as high as can be and as sexy as can be but you’d still be able to wear it,” she said. She adds she’s interested in making both men’s and women’s shoes. “I’m doing just what I call a fashion shoe because I’ve found I can’t really say this is (just) for women because anybody can wear it,” she said.
Wheeler holds up a shoe form in the beginning stages to display the layers of material.
22 VINTAGEKC WINTER 2018
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