For most of her life Marlene Kranz has been involved in the world of Fashion, Theatre and Creative Arts. Marlene’s passion for Design comes with the awareness of the negative impacts of an industry in need of major change in the face of environmental disaster.
Marlene is a 2017 Churchill Fellow and shoe designer who found that for the leather and fashion industry in Europe and the UK meaningful change involves serious commitment from government and private industry in the sector.
Local enterprises as opposed to global networks are the path to generating sustainable business. Marlene has since been actively involved assessing the existing onshore shoe making community and exploring ways to create a low impact, long lasting and timeless product in collaboration with an independent Indigenous artist.
Marlene has taught design nationally and internationally. Before establishing her own shoe label ‘Ideal Husband’ she worked for fashion icons such as Vivienne Westwood.
Marlene holds a Bachelor of Arts/ Fashion from University of the Arts in Bremen, Germany and a Diploma of Footwear from RMIT, Melbourne, Australia.