FIVE years ago, Ashikin Majid bought a pair of white canvas shoes to decorate herself so that she would own something one-of-a-kind.
“I just didn’t want to wear something that other people might have as well,” says the 24-year-old Penangite from a rented room which doubles as her studio in Kuala Lumpur.

That one pair of shoes changed her life, sort of. Shortly after Ashikin, who prefers to be called Ash, was done colouring out her design on the canvas with fineliner pens, her father suggested she start a business.

Thus began Ash Burn Design, a small business that specialises in putting art on shoes. Each pair of shoes was painstakingly drawn in intricate detail by Ash.

Ash and her shoes

Since then, the business has expanded to include hand-painted handbags and accessories. Recently, she brought designer Hud Rahim, 31, onboard to further diversify the art.

“I am inspired by nature. Sometimes I will sit and just stare outside at the trees and the sky to find inspiration for a design,” says Ash.

“You may notice that I use the image of the sun and rainbows in most of my designs.”

Her business partner, Meor Ezammer, 29, drives her out to historic buildings, from Brickfields in KL to Ipoh, Perak, to Malacca, when she needs to feel creative in a different environment.

Ash's work on display at a bazaar

“Even designs on antique furniture serve as inspiration for me,” adds Ash, who can finish decorating a pair of shoes in several days, depending on the detailing and how much time she has to complete the project.

When the business took off, some of her first clients were from Germany and Australia, and after a TV appearence, national bowler Shalin Zulkifli dropped her an e-mail, asking for a specially-decorated pair of shoes.

“It was for her to wear during the Asian Games last year – it had tiger stripes, a Malaysian flag and a cartoon character drawn on it.

“It took me about two weeks to finish the pair. However, she ended up not wearing them as they were not suitable to wear during the competition, but that’s fine because she helped spread the word,” reveals Ash.

The artist doesn’t just decorate ready-to-wear shoes – clients can opt to have a “team shoe” designed for display, which is what clients like IKEA and the Swedish Embassy in KL had her create.

Ash's IKEA team shoe

The youngest of three siblings has been interested in art and design since she was very young. Ever since she sat down for her first art class at six years old she has been dabbling in painting, sculpting and other art forms, including craft work.

At home, she found ways to help her parents with interior design-related work around the house.

“I would help my dad with carpentry and decorating and painting the house. Even though it annoyed my mother at first, rearranging furniture became a hobby of mine,” explains Ash, laughing.

In school, she excelled at art classes and eventually went on to graduate from college with a diploma in interior design.

The pair Ash designed for national bowler Shalin Zulkifli

After college she worked as a kitchen designer in Penang for a year and a half before moving to KL, where she worked as a freelance designer.

Right now, Ash and her partners are focusing on expanding the business – they just recently launched Charmez, a charmbracelet project.

“I love being able to share my art, and my clients like knowing that the pair of shoes they own, is unique. I will keep this going for as long as my creativity keeps flowing,” says Ash.

*To check out more of Ashikin’s designs head to aschebrenn.blogspot.com or the company’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ashburndesign.

Baby shoes are a very popular order

Ash can draw just about anything you want her to

Ash's designs are inspired by nature