TURNING his hand from structures to sandals, former architect Julian Hakes now produces designer shoes.
His business is such a success, he has been invited to Downing Street tomorrow.
The East Yorkshire businessman designs high-end footwear under his own name, donned by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj.
David Cameron has invited Julian and other entrepreneurs from start-up businesses to visit No 10.
Julian said he was excited about stepping foot in the famous building.
"It's an iconic little piece of street and, as an architect, it's a real privilege," he said.
Julian was invited after taking part in last year's Government conference in Birmingham, which put him "on the radar".
The three-day event saw hundreds of businesses take part with stalls and Julian's footwear business was crowned the winner.
He said: "We were really excited to win and meeting Mr Cameron was a real privilege.
"It's nice they were reaching out to new business start-ups.
"I was surprised and encouraged by the message they're putting out to new businesses."
"It provided a place for us to be seen."
Julian has brought his architectural background to the world of fashion.
His Mojito shoe's distinctive shape is inspired by the twist of lime in the cocktail.
The recession caused Julian to step in a different direction.
After training to be an architect for ten years, then spending ten years building up his own firm, the recession "almost wiped it out".
He said: "It hit my architecture business really hard.
"Going into fashion wasn't one of those things I set out to do. Not many architects have gone into footwear, but I've designed something never seen before."
After taking on the new direction, he said he has had much more support in his new business than before.
"I've had lots of support from the British Footwear Association," said Julian.
Not only does Julian exhibit at London Fashion Week, his shoes also sell in Hong Kong, Korea and Japan – as well as Hull.
"Schuh in St Stephen's were selling my shoes, but they've run out now," Julian said.
His designs have only been in stores for six months, but the first person to spot his talent was supermodel Tyra Banks.
He said: "Her people called me as soon as the design went online, but the shoes didn't even exist yet."
The were only made 18 months ago and Julian says the progress is really encouraging.
"We've worked really hard to do what we've done," he said.
