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| Miniature Armadillo shoe by Alexander McQueen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, Savage Beauty |
Blink and you missed it. Shoes for Show: The Sculptural Art of High Heels was a fascinating exhibition that took place in east London for just four days at the start of November. Organised by online shoe store Javari and presented in three sections – Catwalk, Couture and Innovation – the exhibition prompted visitors “to consider the high heel, when taken off the foot and placed within the gallery, as a piece of art.” The Innovation theme also provided an introduction to the exciting work of a new generation of London-based shoe designers, such as...
...Katie Eary, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2008 with an MA in Menswear. Straight out of college she was commissioned by Selfridges and had pieces shot by Mario Testino with Kate Moss for UK Vogue. British Elle described her as having “industry credibility as a menswear designer to watch.” These spiked leather-wrapped platform trainers with brass toe caps (above) were created in association with Nike. “Street couture,” is how Katie describes her work. “Treading the monumentally versatile line between Vogue and Vice.” Just to prove she’s human, we should point out that Katie Eary collaborated on Kanye West’s less-than-ecstatically-received debut fashion line this season (Anna Wintour’s verdict: “Ask someone else”). But you can't run in superheels without the odd stumble, non? Shoeblog is looking forward to seeing what Katie does next. 
www.katieeary.co.uk
Dorothy’s slippers in The Wizard of Oz were covered in rubies (Shoeblog recommends the fascinating – and exhaustive – story at Wikipedia. Coincidentally, one of the half dozen pairs seen in the 1945 movie is due to be auctioned this year, on December 16, with an estimate of $2-$3 million. And they aren’t even real rubies...)
This ‘Return to Oz’ heel-less platform slipper is encrusted with copper sulphate crystals and is the creation of two graduates from Kingston University’s Fashion Design MA course. Niamh O’Connor works with leading-edge design research teams, including the London fashion laboratory Studio Nancy Tilbury. Emily Crane’s ‘Micro-Nutrient Couture’ is “a sensory world of transient fashion where no one but the individual will ever wear the same dress again.”
Above, a piece of ‘kitchen couture’ jewellery by Emily Crane.
Niamh O'Connor: tamagangan.blogspot.com
Emily Crane: emilycrane.co.uk
Chau Har Lee's award-winning footwear is futuristic, architectural and sensuous. After a foundation course at Camberwell College where sculpture and textiles were her main interests, a meeting with Olivia Morris pushed Chau in the direction of shoe design. Cordwainers College and an MA from the RCA followed, then work with companies including Burberry and Georgina Goodman.
Using materials both traditional and otherwise (like the perspex design above, image thanks to faddy.typepad.com), Chau pushes the boundaries of cobblery. One of her themes is the notion of shoes that can be disassembled and reassembled. In an interview with DazedDigital.com, she talked about the sci-fi creative process: “One design... was built using a 3D printer that deposits thin layers of liquid resin. A laser beam tells the resin where to stay hard and where to remain liquid. After 28 hours... all the liquid drains off leaving the remaining shoe.” Her creations are now available from Selfridges on a made-to-order basis.
www.chauharlee.com
Sophia Grace Webster is another Camberwell/Cordwainers/RCA alumnus. These white leather and cream python platforms, with pearls threaded through the wooden heels, are for Manolo Blahnik.
Sophia’s final collection at art college was inspired by African butterfly wings. “Many of the designs in my collection work as a pair,” she told British Vogue. “So the shoes look beautiful on their own but also tell a story when the wearer puts their feet together. For example on a pair of boots, there is a laser-cut patent wing on each shoe so when you put your feet back together a butterfly appears.” Sophia’s feminine and curvaceous shoes are stocked by Browns, and she has also designed for the high street as winner of the River Island Design Forum. (Image above thanks to allyouneedisstyle.com)
www.sophiagracewebster.co.uk
www.sophiagracewebster.co.uk
French-born Natacha Marro (above) opened her first shoe boutique in south London in 2000, after graduating from Cordwainers. Over the years her creations have become favourites of the international fashion press (US Elle, below)...
...and of the most fashion forward footwear fans, ie Lady Gaga (below) and Daphne Guinness.
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| Lady Gaga image thanks to coolspotters.com |
In an interview with GraziaDaily.co.uk, Natacha Marro said, “A lot of work goes into making the shoes really wearable as well as beautiful. The stability of the shoe is really important. They have to be strong enough to be worn by a drunk person walking down stairs! I use screws inside the heel instead of nails. Next, I use a really soft leather to go around the foot. If I am making a glitter or a fabric shoe, I always make it just a tiny bit bigger than the person’s foot so there is room for the person’s foot to expand with the pressure of walking on high heels. Finally, I use an orthopedic insole with lots of cushioning. The inside can take as much work as the outside. The higher the shoe, the more padding there is inside. Daphne once said she can play tennis in my shoes which to me is the biggest compliment ever!”
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| Daphne Guinness image thanks to streetfsn.blogspot.com |
You can commission Natacha Marro, but be prepared to get in line behind David Bowie, Alison Goldfrapp, Grayson Perry...