Junior Finds Success in Shoe-Designing
May 14, 2021
Many people are unable to make a career out of their hobbies, but junior Josh Fordham has defeated these odds and begun a career that revolves around his passion: designing.
Fordham was just 13 when he entered the world of shoe designing. He made his first profit in 2019 from a pair of Moana sneakers he designed for Principal Dana Paredes’ daughter.
“My daughter loves them,” Mrs. Paredes said. “He is such a talented artist. I definitely plan to purchase shoes from him in the future.”
Fordham’s business took off exponentially by both word of mouth and social media, allowing him to earn well over $1,200. One of Fordham’s noteworthy accomplishments was his creation of 12 shoe orders for the West Haven High School’s step and majorette team.
Entering the field of design is difficult. Getting noticed and receiving orders is a major accomplishment on its own, regardless of the quantity.
Fordham gets inspiration both internally and from his loved ones.
“I am my biggest inspiration because even though I am happy at the place I am right now, I know I can keep pushing and moving forward to do even better,” he said. “My biggest supporters are my close friends and family. They encourage me to create new things and become better every day.”
Fordham said anyone else interested in the field of design should have patience with themselves.
“If anyone out there wants to start customizing shoes, I’d say set a realistic expectation for yourself because I know when I first started I would criticize everything I did wrong, but soon realized I was basically the only one noticing these mistakes,” he said.
Fordham’s work can be found at Oddbrand1.com or @odd.brand on Instagram.
