FOOTWEAR DESIGN
”A SHOE CAN TRANSFORM YOU AND MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A DIFFERENT PERSON” “THEY OFTEN GIVE CLUES AS TO THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE WEARER, AND MUCH MORE BESIDES” Aki Choklat, Footwear Design 2012 12
HISTORY OF SHOE DESIGN TURE •
Modern footwear components exist because of the developments of the past, from the productivity of wear and research. • The history of footwear can inspire the modern designer through closures and ornamentation.
SHAPE AND STRUCTURE RE 16TH CENTURY, CHOPINES • Venetian courtesans wore Chopines platforms, inspired by the over shoe, that elevated above the soiled streets. • Not practical, wearers needed help to walk in them. POULAINES, RENAISSANCE POINTED MENS SHOE No practical purpose for the point length of the shoe, other than to hint towards social standing.
CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTS OF SHOE DESIGN N DEVELOPMENTS OF THE SHOE • Salvatore Ferragamo introduced the wedged heel to footwear design, taking inspiration from the developments in his surroundings, architecture, modern art and other archaeological discoveries. • Many designers took street style as a source of inspiration. • Biba was one of the first stores that offered the public fashion from the screens at a reasonable price. BRITISH GLAM & STREET CULTURE • Men wore heals. • Punk influenced struck fashion with it’s “flamboyant extremes”. • The 80’s brought around further advancements in street culture, the pixie boot boot emerged along side the evolving trainer culture. • Exercise wear cross pollinated to streetwear and the ideas of casual wear became more frequent.
THE LUXURY SHOE H ”Glamorous shoes have become something of daily wear”. THE INDUSTRY EELKO MOORER, BART HESS, STUART WEITZMAN, IRIS VAN HERPEN.
• The most sought after item from the catwalk is shoes. • London Selfridges houses more than 55,000 pairs of shoes. • The footwear industry can be a lucrative platform for many companies to sell a trend driven product that fits pretty much any body type. FOOTWEAR FUTURE • Designers are consistently experimenting with new materials that have not been use before in shoe making. • Size and volume has been something explored by shoe makers, working with shapes that are not specific to a shoe. • There have also been developments in the breathable, water resistant materials.
Understanding the basics of shoe design.. Choklat, A. (2012). Footwear Design. London: Laurence King Publishing, pp.6-24