What We Do.
We Turn an Historic Shoe Collection Into Hard Cash to Help Hungry, Destitute Children Living Rough on the Streets of Manila.
Sole Support sells Imelda Marcos Shoe Artwork created from the remarkable shoe collection of Former First Lady of The Philippines. The portraits are painted by British artist A. J. Green.
From every print sold, a fixed 25% of the selling price is donated to helping homeless children in Manila living on the streets.
We partner with accredited Philippine charities already working on the front line, supporting homeless children.
Sole Support helps fund their established work through sales of shoe prints and donations from compassionate individuals and shoe lovers around the world.
Shoe Revolution.
A World Famous Shoe Collection is Transformed Into a Heart-Rending Cause for Manila's Forgotten Children.
The project visually deconstructs the infamous shoe collection of former First Lady of The Philippines, Imelda Marcos to raise funds to help thousands of homeless children living rough on the streets of Manila.
A collection synonymous with wealth and extravagance is being given an unexpected second life. Through the sale of these prints, its legacy can now help children facing extreme poverty in a city once called The Pearl of the Orient.
A unique collaborative effort between former First Lady Imelda Marcos, project founder and artist A. J. Green, and the Marikina Shoe Museum in Manila has created an original humanitarian vehicle for helping destitute children.
Children in Real Need.
Behind the Glamour of Luxury Shoes Are Thousands of Children Sleeping Rough on Manila's Streets
An estimated 75,000 children sleep rough on the streets of Manila, exposed to hunger, violence, illness and exploitation.
Many live without regular shelter, schooling, healthcare or adult protection, surviving through begging, scavenging, casual work or informal street economies. Their daily reality stands in painful contrast to the extreme luxury symbolised by Imelda Marcos's famous shoe collection.
Imelda Marcos Shoe artwork places these two worlds side by side: historic excess and present vulnerability. Through these fine art prints, the project aims to transform a symbol of privilege into practical support for children living at the margins of Philippine society.
Shoes That Keep Giving.
From Movies, Musicals, TV Shows, Songs, Books, Blogs, News Stories, These Legendary Shoes Continue to Fascinate.
The world’s fascination with Imelda Marcos’s shoes has never disappeared. Decades after the collection became famous, it continues to attract international curiosity, debate and media attention.
These are no longer simply shoes: they have become cultural symbols associated with fashion, music, wealth, politics and one of history’s most extraordinary personal collections.
That enduring recognition gives the Sole Support project its unique power.
By transforming selected shoes into works of art, a story that still commands worldwide attention can now be used to focus attention on children desperately needing help.
Stories Behind The Shoes.
Choosing The Shoes Meant Discovering The Extraordinary Personal Stories Hidden Inside Imelda Marcos’s Collection.
The shoes carried memories reaching far beyond fashion. Imelda could recall what she wore during encounters with figures who shaped modern history — from Andy Warhol and Fidel Castro to Ronald Reagan, Mao Zedong.
Listening to these recollections gave the artist a vignette of history no archive could provide: for the shoes are loaded with symbolism.
They have accompanied Imelda Marcos through decades of tumultuous Philippine and world history.
Each thought-provoking shoe painting is weighed down by the history of the times and is sure to provoke discussion, controversy or even anger.
Chasing The Legend.
Fascination With the Legend Led Artist and Entrepreneur A. J. Green to this Holy Grail of Shoe Lovers
A. J. Green is a London-based artist, photographer, journalist, entrepreneur, philanthropist.
For ten years he has worked between London and Manila creating a remarkable series of oil paintings of a remarkable collection of shoes.
This unfathomable mountain of shoes is finally being put to good use.
Through direct contact with the Former First Lady of The Philippines, Imelda Marcos, he gained unrivalled access to the heart of this affair enabling the project to be executed with historical accuracy and provenance.
Turn Old Shoes Into Hard Cash To Help Poor Kids
Turn these symbols of excess into food, shelter, love
and support for thousands of impoverished children.