Shoelace Studio is an online novelty store, designing beautiful and customized interior decor. They specialize in nail and string art but do not stop just there! They also do customized lamp shades, picture boards and banners that make for unique gifts to present to your loved ones. We met up with the creatives behind Shoelace Studio, Savanthi, Kushan and Dyan for a little chat.

This is an innovative and new concept in Sri Lanka. How did you guys come up with it? Also, who came up with the name "Shoelace Studio"?

The backstory behind Shoelace Studio is a long and funny story. In a nutshell it's something we came up with over a random conversation and materialised into what you see today once we started working on it. Deciding the name was actually our very first order of business and has partly to do with one of our partner's love of shoes and us not wanting to limit ourselves to any particular area. A lot of people think that the name has something to do with the nail and string art but it's pure coincidence.

I understand that the three of you work/study full time. How do you balance your work/study with the Shoelace Studio?

Yes we do, it's been tough and pushed us to be super efficient and greatly improved our time management skills. We mostly work after hours and sometimes in-between too. The three of us work really well together which helps keep the balance.

How has the response been so far?

It's been amazing! The reason we've come so far has a lot to do with our fans and the response we've received.

Who is the creative guru behind the masterpieces?

It's a combined effort and all three of us play a role in deciding how the final piece comes out be it from deciding the layout, colour scheme to outlook.

Do you take personalized orders?

Yes, custom orders are something we do and we've had a huge demand for it!

By far, what has been the toughest/most creative order you've received?

It's hard to pick one, we take every new order as a challenge and hardly turn anything down. Even if it's a new product we find a way to deliver what the customer wants and suggest alternatives where not possible.

Where do you guys source your material from?

We don't have one particular source as such and get our materials from all over the place according to the order requirements.

What plans for the future of Shoelace Studio?

We have many exciting plans ahead and will be launching a new range of products really soon!

If any of our readers want to place an order with you, how can they do that?

We are active on social media and can be contacted on Facebook (www.facebook.com/shoelacestudio), Instagram (www.instagram.com/shoelace_studio) and via e-mail ([email protected]). We will also be at the Colombo Design Market on the 19th of July, anyone who wants to take a look at our products can drop by and do so.

By Shenali de Silva
Photographs courtesy Shoelace Studio