“Where did you get those shoes?”
Once Lacie Reynolds unveils her Bespokez shoe collection on Sept. 27 at JAX Brewery, guests of the show will probably ask this question a lot.
Reynolds started Bespokez about five months ago and since then, she has been designing shoes to make her customers stand out from the crowd.
Reynolds said the name, Bespokez, has two meanings. The first is “to speak,” because Reynolds said she wants her customers to express themselves in everything that they do and stand for. The second meaning is “custom-made” which is what Reynolds does every day when designing shoes.
“I look for ways to express myself all the time,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds’ self-expression is clear in each shoe design. Each Bespokez shoe is custom designed with either Reynolds’ graphics or a customer’s graphics. She said if a customer has their heart set on a specific pattern or design, she will work with them to create a vision and then place it on the shoe.
Right now, Reynolds is working on getting her own shoe manufacturer to create the shoes, but currently is refurbishing old shoes to give them the Bespokez touch.
She designed a pair of Nike Air Force 1’s for New Orleans Saints’ DJ, DJ Strategy. They are designed with black and white photos of hip-hop icons like Notorious B.I.G.
Bespokez also has released plenty of high heels. She designed a pair of heels for Christina DiLeo, editor in chief of Seven Men’s Magazine. The body of the heel is covered with “seven” written in a bold, red font. The heel of the shoe is designed with bright graphics in multiple colors.
Reynolds also has designed a heel covered in black and white newspaper along with other designs including graffiti-looking prints for the brand.
The goal of Bespokez is to create a shoe that makes the customer stand out from the crowd of basic black heels and simple sneakers. Reynolds’ shoes make a statement and can take an outfit from basic to detailed simply by putting on a pair of Bespokez shoes.
Reynolds said shoes she’s previously released and other unveiled designs will be shown at the Bespokez event on Sept. 27.
The event will start at 6 p.m. and include two separate Bespokez shows. Reynolds said the first show will be displaying previous designs she has released, and the second show will be an unveiling of the first official collection.
Reynolds said after the runway show, customers can visit the website to custom design their own shoe or order a shoe from her collection. She said she plans to release a new shoe every six weeks to keep customers coming back and order new, custom designs.
Reynolds said the event will also include collections from two other designers, Henry Torrence and Kallisti Millinery, along with slam poetry, music by DJ Strategy and other performances.