I'm Not a Fashion Expert. I Just Wanted Shoes That Felt Like Me.
Tia HansenShare
I didn’t grow up flipping through fashion magazines. I didn’t dream about designer labels or runway trends. Honestly, I just wanted to feel like myself — quietly, comfortably, and without drawing too much attention.
As a shy, overweight teenager in school uniforms, I learned early that fashion wasn’t made for girls like me. Red and black goth vibes were it back then — that was my flavor of rebellion. But most of the time, the only piece of clothing I had any real choice in was my shoes. And even that wasn’t much of a choice.
If they had my size and didn’t make my feet cry? I wore them. That was the bar.
What I really longed for were shoes that jumped out at me and said:
"This is you. All of you."
But that kind of magic just didn’t exist in the clearance rack at Payless.
From Survival Mode to Statement Mode
Fast forward to adulthood, where the dress code became “acceptable office lady” — navy, black, maybe a dusty rose on Friday. But then I realized something kind of revolutionary:
If I invested in one pair of shoes that felt like ME — unapologetically, unmistakably Tia —
I could get away with the rest of my wardrobe being basic.
And I’d still shine.
And you know what? People noticed.
Strangers would stop me and say, “I love your style.”
Me — in a $4 Goodwill blazer, lit up only by shoes that screamed not boring.
I couldn’t always afford to dye my hair purple. But my feet?
They could carry the torch.
Big Feet, Bigger Problem
Then came the real betrayal:
I had to start wearing men’s shoes.
Overnight, my already limited options went from the occasional neon pink to…
Brown. Black. Navy. Gray. Rinse. Repeat.
That was it. I was done.
The Day I Found Out You Could POD Shoes
When I found out you could design shoes — real ones — and have them printed on demand, I swear I heard a choir sing.
I could finally make shoes that felt like me
…without having to learn leatherworking
…without giving up comfort
…and maybe even build a little business around it.
So I did.
Designing Shoes That Look Like Someone’s Soul
I don’t sit down to follow trends. I just ask myself, If I were a shoe, what would I look like?
Some days it’s my childhood.
Other days it’s my kids.
Always, it’s a little loud, a little weird, and a whole lot of real.
When someone slips on a pair of my designs, I want them to feel… like them.
Like maybe the world finally made space for their weird, wonderful self.
Sometimes I imagine my shoes on people with brightly colored hair and face piercings.
But mostly? I imagine them on my kids.
Would they wear these?
Would these shoes make them proud to be who they are?
If the answer is yes, I keep going.
So No, I’m Not a Fashion Expert
I’m just someone who got tired of shoes being an afterthought.
Now, they’re the loudest thing I wear — and the truest.