Bed-Stuy Teen Design Sent Oscar Noms Home With Her Original Shoes

BED-STUY, NY — Bed-Stuy designer Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis would never have guessed one day she'd share her shoes with Hollywood's biggest stars, and certainly not before her 15th birthday.

"I was excited, I was proud," 14-year-old Traynham-Artis told Patch. "When I first started... this was only a dream."

Traynham-Artis felt a lot of emotions as she handed out her original Lane 1 shoe designs at an Oscars-week gifting suite in Los Angeles.

Traynham-Artis and her mom, Kenesha Traynham-Cooper, made their way to Los Angeles for the Oscars, which took place Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. The two personally handed out Traynham-Artis' shoes, made in collaboration with Gernie NYC and Marc Fisher Footwear, to Oscar-nominated celebrities on Friday and Saturday.

"It was so many mixes of emotions that I was going through, but at the end of the day I knew that I did work really hard," Traynham-Artis said. "I can't even explain it, and sometimes I still feel that way."

The weekend was an exciting milestone for Traynham-Artis, whose inclusion in the gifting suite has garnered significant media attention from the likes of Good Morning America and Vanity Fair Italia.

But Traynham-Artis has been working on her brand for years.

Traynham-Artis finds inspiration in every day conversations and interactions, she told Patch.

Something her friend or family member says will get Traynham-Artis thinking, "that would make a really good shoe."

From this "aha" moment to a customer's hands is a months-long process, Kenesha Traynham-Cooper said.

Most recently, Traynham-Artis created a shoe inspired by her friend Mary. She didn't even realize she was designing the shoe for Mary until she finished and thought, Mary would wear this shoe, she said. So she named it after Mary.

Traynham-Artis also finds inspiration in her Brooklyn community, which she lovingly calls her family.

"What a community does, they work together, and they help each other, and they care for each other," Traynham-Artis said. "And that's what we do in our neighborhood."

And Traynham-Artis's community is proud of her. Friends celebrate Lane 1's wins alongside her, and get excited when the brand hits new milestones like a new shoe design or another thousand followers on Instagram. Traynham-Artis said her mom is her "biggest cheerleader." Since her appearance at the gifting suite, Traynham-Artis said there has been a lot of interest in Lane 1.

Traynham-Artis would like to sell Lane 1 in stores, but no matter where the brand goes, Traynham-Artis is proud of her growth as a designer, she said.

"I'm very happy that I get to share my talent with the world outside of my community and [am] able to use this as a learning experience," she said. "Anything involved in Lane 1, whether I made a mistake or not, it doesn't matter. [I'm] just allowing this whole experience to let Lane 1 grow as a business and help me grow as a designer."

Beyond design, Traynham-Artis has found other creative outlets in writing poetry and dancing, she told Patch.

"I write poems every week," Traynham-Artis said. "A lot of things happen in a day, a lot of things happen in a week. So sometimes it's just better to put it down on paper. I find poems to be so amazing because it's a different way to articulate your words that's kind of lyrical, but it's also telling a story."

She hopes her story gives people the courage to share their love for art and fashion with the world, she said.

"When they see me — no matter the age, no matter where they live, no matter who they are — [I hope people think,] 'if she can do it, I can do it too. She's saying that she wasn't afraid to express [herself] and express her love for art, her love for fashion, so I shouldn't be afraid to do it either.'"