Tamar Shalem
Shoes Designer, Tel Aviv
Tamar has long been obsessed with fashion—especially shoes. After finishing a degree in industrial design, she decided to make her fantasy into a reality by creating her own shoe label. She currently designs and produces shoes in Tel Aviv, her hometown, and loves the feeling of turning a simple sketch into a 3 dimensional object. The tradition of making shoes by hand is important to her because she likes to feel the material and put care and heart into the details.
Your idea of happiness?
Watching the sunset on the beach with my husband and son.
Your idea of misery?
Not being able to notice the small moments of happiness in your everyday life.
If not yourself, who would you be?
I always thought I should have been a dolphin.
Your heroes?
Both my grandmothers, who survived the Holocaust and created new lives for themselves.
What is your present state of mind?
Designing shoes at the first part of the day and spending the other part with my baby.
Bedside table books?
(Blushing) I have been reading the first half of the first page of a book by Israeli writer Ofir Tushe Gapla for the last 10 months (always falling asleep). It seems to be a great book though.
What do you do if you can’t sleep at night?
Sit on the porch, listening to the sound of the city at night and thinking of new ideas for my business.
Do you collect anything?
Not at all. I love moving apartments, because it is such a great opportunity to get rid of anything that is not in use.
What is the strangest thing you believed in as a child?
That my parents are perfect and that they know everything.
Favorite color?
Black.
Favorite city?
New York.
What are your plans for this weekend?
I am spending some time at the studio working on a special project for an exhibition in the Netherlands. Then, straight to the beach.
Favorite song?
"There There" by Radiohead.
Right or left-handed?
Right.
What is the best dish you can cook?
My specialty is lasagna.
What is your middle name?
I don’t have one, it is not common in Israel to have one.
What do you do in your free time?
Pilates training and shopping, but if there is one thing that really makes me feel free, it is a quick getaway in the middle of a working day to float in the cool sea water and look at the city rush from there.