An industrial designer by trade, Jeff Brodawka got into shoemaking at an early stage in his career. When he was still a student at Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), he started working as a salesperson at noted Canadian shoemaker John Fluevog. Upon completing his diploma, a great opportunity presented itself to Jeff: "I was fresh out of school and saw that the company was looking to fill a design position at their head office in Vancouver. I applied, met with their creative team and we got along pretty well; I ended up getting the job, moved to Vancouver and started doing design work for the brand," Jeff recalls.
The passing years saw the young designer gain both confidence and experience as he worked his way up in the company. "Around the end of my time there, I was designing lots of men's shoes and lots of collections. It was a great environment for me, because it's the kind of place where you get your hands into every step of shoemaking, from the design to the buying shows," Jeff points out.
"I ended up missing Toronto though, so I moved back here in 2011 and started my own small shop, intending to design and sell my own shoe collections." Brodawka & Friends was born.
