Preview "Watch our Steps!" #1

introduction We are so proud to present the catalogue of the “Watch our Steps!” exhibition. We intend this as the first of an annual celebration, bringing together the best footwear graduation works from around the globe.

It also marks the inauguration of Slem, our new institute for footwear education and innovation. Our vision is to create a unique center of resources for the footwear community through the collection and conservation of footwear ‘culture’, both artisan and industrial, and the generation and communication of new knowledge by bringing together cutting edge research across various disciplines. Here is the opportunity to bridge academic creativity and industry driven challenge. Slem will serve both students and professionals, through full time masterclasses and intensive workshops, seminars and custom courses, both online and offline.

Connecting established research and education facilities within the footwear and leather goods sector is also a major priority for us. We have already found that “Watch our Steps!” is an excellent first step in that direction. We want to thank all participating schools, designers and their teachers for their wonderful collaboration. This exhibition has already resulted in a great network of footwear teachers, sharing their passion for and experience in footwear formation, which benefits all of us.

Rather than presenting the works divided by the school of origin, we decided to organize them according to the themes we recognized as we collected these shoes. “Watch our Steps!” gives an incredible overview of what is important to these young talents and functions as a unique tool for forecasting, portraying the visions of the future generation of footwear designers. After all, in a way, even these shoes are foot prints left behind in their creative journey... but they can indicate where they are heading. We will keep watching their steps as they move ahead in their Special thanks to our Slem team #1 of interns who also took their first steps in footwear with this exhibition

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Nicoline van Enter & Diane Becker (Creative Directors Slem) slem - watch our steps #1

index

themes nature resourced 4 footwear re-invented 50 steps beyond 1 08 a bundance

134 biomimicry

174 designer index 2 06 schools & sponsor 207

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aku bäckström

chloe stanyon

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theme takuya takizawa

nature resourced This first story focuses on the use of natural materials and archaic or ethnic shoemaking skills, translated to our present time. The need for shoes that are more sustainable is a big motivation here. We find students looking into hand stitching, wood carving and wet-moulding of veg-tan leather, not just for aesthetic purposes, but also to eliminate the need for adhesives.

The strong re-appreciation of craft is another reason for this development. For a generation that has

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grown up with computer technology, working with their hands is a new and very welcome approach, which is in no way inferior to industrial or high-tech production. It allows for different ways of designing, starting from the material, letting its properties guide the design process.

Apart from just taking inspiration from the look of the designs on the next pages, it is this design approach that can be highly directional for the footwear industry. We would like to encourage companies to give designers the opportunity to work in this way, which might take more time initially, but could help save costs in sourcing and production, whilst improving aesthetics and sustainability.

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theme title

nature resourced untitled

designer

aku bäckström

academy

royal college of art, london

year

the story

2012

Aku’s Finnish background shines through in his work, which shows a modern ‘hunter gatherer’ approach to footwear design. What stands out most are his experiments with last shapes and constructions. He takes parts out of lasts and distorts them, creating a clunky, orthopedic and even clownlike look. The seemingly random yet highly skilled way he makes rugged heels and outsoles using stacked leather and wood is something we have never seen before. Yet he also proves that he can translate his unique aesthetic to more wearable styles as well.

Before his Master degree, Aku earned his BA in Footwear at the Hamk University in Finland and worked for London based designer Aki Choklat. In 2011, he took part in “Loop: design in context of cultural change”, a Camper Summer Workshop in Mallorca, Spain. He also won the Footwear Friends award in 2012 in London.

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theme title

nature resourced tea ceremony

designer

daisuke horie

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

This shoe was made from waste leathers and is inspired by the ceramics used for the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which shows not only in the shape, but also in the contrast between the crackled upper and the smooth, shiny lining. He was chosen for the Camper workshop in Mallorca, based on his strong, raw, neo-primitive aesthetics that are sophisticated and elegant in a very contemporary way.

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theme title

nature resourced untitled

designer

yan guo

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2011

Yan Guo was inspired by the lace collection of Victoria and Albert Museum, yet he referenced it in a very abstract way, reorganizing the complex lines in an architectural manner. We have added his designs to this theme because of the striking wooden heels, which, in combination with the last shape, give his shoes a ‘bewitched’ feel.

Yan is especially attracted to the high end segment of the footwear business; he worked as a shop assistant for Charlotte Olympia and made shoes for Jimmy Choo.

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theme title

nature resourced athena - shades

designer

nahee jang

academy

bunka fashion college, tokyo

year

the story

2012

Korean designer Nahee Jang’s boots her final collection at Bunka Fashion College were inspired by Athena, the Greek goddess of not only wisdom or warfare, but also of arts and crafts such as textile, ceramics, woodwork and metalcraft. Using stacked veg-tan sole leather in the heel as well as in the upper, she wants to portray both elements, making a boot that is rugged yet feminine.

The short boots on the next page show a similar approach in making, yet they have a different inspiration. These are inspired by the shadows created by walls in the city. Of course the angular ‘shelves’ on the side create similar shadows and by covering the sole with cement, Jang wants to literally express the coldness of the walls of the city after dark.

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theme title

nature resourced minsong #1

designer

min song

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2011

Min Song’s neo-minimalist collection, meant as the start of her own brand MINSONG, takes inspiration from orthopedic styles and non-invasive prosthetics. For instance, Marie Chouinard’s bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS ballet performance showed her how the human body can have a unique and organic relationship with attached non-human devices, such a crutches and artificial limbs. This is reflected in the metal spike heel inside the veg-tan cover, shown on the next page, and in the metal plate on the inside of the flat heel, featured on the opposite page.

Min Song won the Jimmy Choo Award scholarship and was chosen to be in the top five of emerging talents on WGSN. She graduates from her BA (Hons) in Product Design and Development (Footwear), with a First Class Honours Degree.

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theme title

nature resourced unitled

designer

chloe stanyon

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2011

Chloe Stanyon is facinated by developing new constructions for footwear, yet always considers the importance of functionality. This shows in her highly wearable graduation collection, which centers around the development of wet- moulded construction. The leather is soaked in water and then shaped and formed around the wooden last.

The end result is a rigid and set form of a shoe with a natural quality and aesthetic that changes and evolves over time. We also appreciate her attention to detail, which shows in the mixture of machinesewn and handsewn stitching, wooden ‘puzzle heels’ and the big leather covered stud on the boot, adding a modern flavor.

Chloe’s design work has lead her to achieve the Drapers Student Footwear Designer of the Year Award in 2010.

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theme title

nature resourced good omens

designer

lotta astrid

academy

hamk wetterhoff, hämeenlinna

year

the story

2012

Lotta was inspired by the Japanese and Swedish armour she had seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Finnish National Museum in Helsinki, combining that with her research in sustainability. She noticed the interesting contrast between the increasing hopelessness of our time, in terms of the future of our lifestyle, and the strong wish for more sustainable products and set out to pour this sense of intellectual battle into her designs. Portraying both gloom and hope lies at the core of the Good Omens collection.

Furthermore, Lotta used Finnish vegetable tanned leather, which she says had not yet been utilized in modern footwear. She aimed to minimize the use of glue and synthetic materials and ended up using a hand-sewn ‘veldtschoen’ construction and wooden heels. The design is layered and sculptural, shielding the wearer both physically and mentally.

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theme title

nature resourced untitled

designer

keiko shindo

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2012

Keiko’s booties resemble how a worm eats through an apple. The ‘worm’ has been made with minimal stitching, simply folding and twisting pieces of leather, which are then pressed into a hole the upper.

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theme title

nature resourced holiday

designer

Hiroe Haruki

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2012

Hiroe’s collection is designed as the first of a new brand called Holiday, meant to provide the ideal shoes for city holidays, aimed at women between 20-35, combining three pillars: mobility, style and comfort. Hiroe’s research showed that women prefer a maximum heel height of 7 cm to be able to walk comfortably, so she incorporated this principle in her collection. Furthermore, she paid attention to sustainability, using wet-moulded vegtan leather and a hand-stitched construction. The brightly coloured cord she chose for that makes sure her shoes don’t look ‘granola’ and also relates back to the nomadic cultures that inspired her designs.

Hiroe has a background in product design and has gained work experience at Celine, Chau Har Lee and Roland Mouret.

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theme title

nature resourced modern ethnic

designer

roderick pieters

academy

artez (ba), arnhem

year

the story

2011

Roderick studied product design, became interested in sustainable production and then applied these principles to footwear when Adriana Rodriguez, director of the creative network of Camper, came to the school to give an intensive four-day workshop.

They were so delighted with his approach to design and new solutions that they invited him for the workshop Master Class in Master Crafts.

This planted the seeds for his graduation collection, which, as the title says, modernizes ethnic constructions. The outsole is made from wet-moulded leather with an intricate bandage profile pressed into it and cups the foot. He experimented with various kinds of hand stitching, constructing the shoes without any glue and with minimal parts, maintaining a clean and modern look. All shoes are unisex.

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theme title

nature resourced untitled

designer

takuya takizawa

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

This design by Takuya Takizawa demonstrates the great emphasis that is put on craft at Hiko Mizuno.

The original inspiration came from a 3D prototype of found materials, created during the Camper Creativity Camp in Echigo Tsumari, Japan.

Takuya, better known as Takky, then made a wearable shoe, built up from winding cord around the last, which evolved into an urban skate shoe that we call ‘the spaghetti sneaker’. Thin tubes of natural latex rubber have been wrapped, twisted and woven around a neoprene sock, also covering the outsole. This design proves just how well sneakers and craft can go together.

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theme title

nature resourced rice dumplings

designer

moe okoshi

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2012

Moe’s inspiration for her felt shoes are traditional Japanese rice dumplings. Designed as home slippers they are ‘comfort food for feet’, giving the wearer the feeling of having his or her feet buried deeply and snugly in rice flour.

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theme title

nature resourced my home

designer

yu otaki

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2012

From the brief description she sent we understand that Yu Otaki has not only designed her ideal shoe, but also her future house: “These shoes are my home, the place where I long to settle down.� Due to the rounded proportions they appear too small for feet, but the inside is shaped in such a way that they are actually quite comfortable, giving the feeling of a high wedge.

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anuk yoseb

helen furber

lieke de koning

anuk yoseb

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theme

cat potter

title

footwear re-defined The designs in this story might seem very different at first sight, yet when we look beyond their appearance, we find that they all originate from a similar way of thinking, questioning what a shoe should look like and how it could be designed and manufactured.

First of all, we find designers re-defining proportions, inspired by both new technologies and other kinds of design, such as furniture and architecture.

Following the shape of the foot is essential for the

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interior of a shoe, but should not have to dictate the exterior. This idea leads to geometric shapes and proportions that do not follow the body at all.

Furthermore, we find designers changing the design process, re-defining how parts could be attached or placed, which leads to modular designs or to hybrids of women’s and men’s shoes.

The designs on the final pages of this theme are directional for anyone involved in the design of sneakers, especially for the female market, giving a new outlook on what sneakers for women could look like.

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theme title

footwear re-defined pernilla

designer

cat potter

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2012

While studying traditional shoemaking during her MA, Cat Potter became very interested in the potential of using alternative materials and technologies in the construction, not just decoration, of shoes.

She formed a collaboration with University College London, using their 3-axis milling machines. Using wood in conjunction with these machines allowed her to explore shape without being restricted by traditional shoe components like insole boards, shanks or toe and heel puffs. She built a series of shoes around a 3D scanned last, which you could probably best describe as ‘furniture for feet’. She started with a cube and then took away more and more material until she ended up with a shape resembling a more traditional sandal. We greatly appreciate the way she questions what a shoe should be. Cat has won the Jimmy Choo MA Final Collection Award for Excellence 2012 from the Cordwainer’s Guild.

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photography: alejandro cavallo

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photography: alejandro cavallo

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theme title

footwear re-defined untitled

designer

netta makkonen

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2011

Netta re-evaluates and challenges the traditional silhouette of a high heel in the context of contemporary fashion. Her aim was to play with the small surface of a high heel, by introducing sculptural forms, to create compelling shapes above the last surface. The design process was based on studio practice and three-dimensional experimentation.

This aspect had a strong influence on the final outcome allowing the designs to develop as the process progressed.

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photography: christina carinhas

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theme title

footwear re-defined ahn

designer

sarah (so-yeon) ahn

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2012

With her luxury shoe brand “Ahn”, developed during her final year, Sarah intends to successfully balance fashion and comfort. She feels that a woman in good shoes will not only better her posture, but also better her attitude and mindset, essentially taking her to “good places”. We appreciate the idea, but wonder whether the heel height really provides the intended comfort...

The AW 12/13 collection was inspired by “Alter Ego”. Everyone has a “darker” side but we are all the same underneath the skin. This ‘split personality’ is reflected in the designs, which have been split in half, visually or even physically.

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photography: pharaoh

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theme title

footwear re-defined untitled

designer

Ju Hee Kang

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

Ju Hee’s designs display the same abstract and architectural style as some other designs in this theme. From her brief description we gather that she made her design in an experimental way: drawing by numbers! She placed dots on a piece of paper and then connected them, coming to this very angular shape.

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theme title

footwear re-defined dangerous liaisons

designer

deniz terli

academy

artez (ma), arnhem

year

the story

2012

Deniz’ collection is the result of her own personal search of what it means to be a woman. Femininity and the power of seduction are common threads in her work, meant for strong, autonomous women who don’t shy away from being sexy, but embrace their sex-appeal as a big part of their womanhood, just as they embrace their intelligence and strength. Through her collection she tries to balance those characteristics and create shoes that challenge the stereotypical rules of femininity. Her shoes show her love for both graphics and hardware, fusing function and decoration.

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photography: pim top & mathijs labadie

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theme title

footwear re-defined untitled

designer

marie oka

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

Marie’s design shows she is a master pattern maker. Influenced by origami, but transforming this gentle craft with rock star and motorcycle aesthetics, she created an upper that you can completely unzip to a series of squares, or play with patterns of open and closed elements.

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theme title

footwear re-defined fencing

designer

anuk yoseb

academy

polimoda, florence

year

the story

2012

Anuk’s collection fuses influences from ballet and fencing. Not an obvious connection at first sight, unless you know that ballet originated as a dance interpretation of fencing in 15th century Italy. Aiming to push the boundaries of footwear design, rather than making a wearable collection, she merged ballet pointes and fencing swords in a series of designs that resemble shoe stretchers.

She made these in a range of heel heights, which she expresses in degrees rather than centimeters: from a 0° flat shoe to a 90° pointe. All designs are modular; the solid toe piece cups the removable inner sock. Anuk is currently working on a more commercial translation of her collection, while she is looking for work as a designer. She has a background in both textile and footwear design, which she hopes to combine in her future occupation.

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theme title

footwear re-defined euphemia

designer

helen furber

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2010

Helen’s design approach focuses on sustainability and technology, without aesthetic compromise. In fact, the way she uses technology enhances the aesthetics of her designs. Applying CAD and rapid prototyping technologies she redefines the footwear product lifecycle, creating her own unique construction process. The result is a modular, glueless construction, which is both visually striking, and enables separation of parts for recycling or biodegrading post consumption. Materials have been thoughtfully reconsidered, utilizing organic leather uppers and bioresin sole units.

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photography: david abrahams

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theme title

footwear re-defined the beauty of constructed fusion

designer

jenna lievonen

academy

artez (ma), arnhem

year

the story

2012

Jenna aims to combine fashion and design, which is what attracted her to footwear. The actual construction of shoes also serves as a source of inspiration. She concentrates on three elements which make a shoe complete: silhouette, texture and structure. Each group within her graduation collection comments on one of these aspects. Since this theme of the catalogue evolves around changing shape and construction, we feature the groups that center around silhouette and structure here. In the shoes on these pages the focus is on powerful clean lines that define the unique sculptural shape.

The styles on the next page portray the importance of structure, capitalizing on illusion to play with how the shoe looks. The “missing� pieces in the shoes make you wonder how it is possible that they are wearable at all.

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theme title

footwear re-defined untitled

designer

maurice van de stouwe

academy

royal college of art, london

year

the story

2012

Maurice’s designs show an interesting contrast between man-made and natural aesthetics. His colours, materials and silhouettes are very minimalist, yet the metal plates on the back of the heels are treated with acid, which we will show further on in the catalogue. He took his inspiration from the first expeditions on Mount Everest; the harsh natural circumstances and the simple climbing gear fascinated him. The music of Marc Houle was another influence: disco tracks that are minimized to their bare essentials. This shows especially in the constructions: feminine yet minimal, using unlined moulded leather uppers and no stitching or trimming.

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theme title

footwear re-defined 001

designer

katri jääskeläinen

academy

hamk wetterhoff, hämeenlinna

year

the story

2012

Like many aspiring shoe designers, Katri was originally fascinated by high-heeled shoes, with no interest in sneakers. Women’s sneakers lacked that certain something, that alluring aspect, which makes high heels so appealing. She found herself repeatedly going back to the men’s section at sneaker stores, frustrated by the fact that all the cool shoes were available in men’s sizes only.

Looking more deeply, she realized that sneakers are highly versatile shoes, influenced by music and street style subcultures and worn by people of all ages, sex and social status. In her designs she was inspired by the juxtaposition of high fashion and street cultures. The 001 women’s sneaker collection is an interpretation of the minimalist art works of Frank Stella and Sol LeWitt, bringing their minimalist, geometric shapes to the street level.

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theme title

footwear re-defined 45-37 size does matter

designer

lieke de koning

academy

artez (ba), 2010

year

the story

2010

For her graduation collection Lieke wondered what would happen if you would use parts of an iconic shoe to create a new shoe. She aimed to find a way to rework upper parts from one size to another, whilst keeping them recognizable. She dissected common, worn men’s shoes in a size 45 and then used the upper parts to create a collection in a women’s shoe size 37, without actually scaling the parts down. Instead, she found ingenious solutions, like pleating, folding and padding to make the parts fit on the smaller last. After her graduation from Artez she took the course in Industrial Foowear Design at DHTA in Utrecht, furthering her research and translating this concept to the sneaker market, showing how companies can develop new shoes by exchanging existing upper parts, thus saving costs and improving sustainability.

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theme title

footwear re-defined dada lane in 2084

designer

young won kim

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2012

Young Won Kim was inspired by dada, translating the dadaist spirit to footwear. His reveals the ‘recipe’ for his designs in his own dada poem: Draw classic men’s shoes details & futuristic shape.

Take some scissors.

Choose from details , cut out the classic shoes details.

Then, put them all in a box.

Shake gently .

Next take out each cutting one after the other.

Copy conscientiously in order in which they left the box.

The shoe will resemble you.

Experimental as it may seem, this approach could actually be applied to the footwear industry, creating innovation using parts of carryover styles.

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theme title

footwear re-defined untitled

designer

yuhei takahashi

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2010

These sneakers, which earned Yuhei the Hiko Mizuno Best Graduate Work Award in 2011, were made by attaching tiny rubber cubes to the last, like digital pixels. The shoe explores new ways of building up footwear, creating a light, soft, breathable and flexible style.

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theme title

footwear re-defined fashion pitch

designer

milou van den berg

academy

artez (ba), arnhem

year

the story

2012

Milou van den Berg is also reinventing women’s sneakers by fusing sport and fashion aesthetics and just like Katri Jääskeläinen she comes to a look that is way more ‘masculine’ than most existing sneakers for women. Lets hope the industry takes notice of this...

Milou plays with shape, materials and accessories, giving her sneakers a futuristic ‘moon boot flavour’. She works with strong (neon) colour contrasts rather than sweet pastels and with bold in-tone hardware instead of bling.

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jozefien vandermarliere

jozefien vandermarliere

manami sato

netta makkonen

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theme

title

steps beyond The designs in this story also re-define what a shoe could be, but from a different perspective. As opposed to the previous theme, which stems from a rational, intellectual approach, these designers use emotion and imagination as their main ingredients. This leads to designs that are otherworldly and surreal.

Escapism certainly is a factor here, but it goes beyond that, since these students do in fact comment strongly on our current society, instead of simply denying it. For instance, we find designers questioning and re-defining the general idea of beauty, embracing deformity and imperfection.

They also revalue childlike imagination, taking nothing for granted and thinking beyond what is considered normal or plausible. Even though some of the designs in this story look rather extreme, they also show how small - and even detachable details can add an element of surprise, creating a different context for an otherwise rather common shoe. These designs make people smile, a quality that might have more commercial potential than we tend to realize...

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theme title

steps beyond beautiful curiosities

designer

laura gostling

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2012

Recently we had a discussion with an orthopedic shoemaker who claimed that fashion footwear and orthopedic footwear are two different worlds that don’t go together. We tend to disagree, as we notice a fascination not only with comfort, but also with ‘odd’ shapes among the new generation of designers, like Laura Gostling. She describes her collection as: “Beautiful Curiosities: A perception of desirable beauty defined by abnormality.” It aims to challenge and overcome negative reactions to shapes and forms that are outside of the stereotypical norm. Her shoes show clear ‘deformities’, often with a touch of surprise, looking quite normal from one angle and weird from another. The way she illustrated and photographed her designs also turns the tables on the standard perception of beauty: hiding the ‘normal’ parts of the body behind a curtain, as if you should be ashamed of them, yet proudly revealing the deformed shoes.

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theme title

steps beyond untitled

designer

yunae song

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

These shoes reflect the difficult times Yunea was going through during her exams: the upper is like the vertebrae of her spine... all hunched over as she worked and her brain is ‘blurred’ inside the heel.

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theme title

steps beyond buried bigsize

designer

manami sato

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2012

Manami was intrigued by over size shoes, like a child playing in her mother’s shoes. To make the shoes look BIG she imagined them half buried in sand, so you cannot see the toe. This way it seems as if you are wearing a giant shoe, perfectly super sized in every detail of a classic oxford, part of which is missing, or even if you are simply missing part of your feet! This curious but excellently crafted shoe was awarded the Hiko Mizuno Best Graduate Work for 2012.

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theme title

steps beyond positive - negative

designer

yasuhiro hiray

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2012

“Face forward…Positive thinking.

Face rearward…Negative thinking.

Why should I have positive thinking all the time?”

So he built his classic wing tips as though they were mounted backwards on the lasts… facing backward…or facing forward?

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theme title

steps beyond stop the moment

designer

mayano koyano

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

Mayano tried to bring cartoon characters to life and capture movement. She imagined the shoes being smashed into a wall and created the lasts to have the shape of that distortion. That is why these shoes are called “stop the moment�, like a frame from a stop motion animation film.

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theme title

steps beyond untitled

designer

netta makkonen

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2011

We also presented Netta’s work in the Footwear Re-defined theme of the catalogue, because of the way she combines thin stiletto heels with large sculptural shapes. Some of her designs however, have an ‘otherworldly’ quality, because of the thorns or ‘teeth’ on the heels, making them look like futuristic vegetation. This also shows the influence of details in this story, giving an otherwise clean shoe a very different context.

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photography: chris agius burke - makeu

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theme title

steps beyond untitled

designer

jozefien vandermarliere

academy

stedelijke academie sint-niklaas

year

the story

2012

The part-time shoemaking and design course at Stedelijke Academie Sint-Niklaas (SASK) in Belgium takes at total of four years, yet some students choose to do only a few years, which is also possible. This is why we decided to include the work of Jozefien. Even though she just finished her second year and is now furthering her studies at Ars Sutoria in Milan, we felt her work at SASK was too good to be left unnoticed.

Her collection consists of a few styles, using innovative materials and rubber ‘shoe masks’, which she moulded herself. The masks are all abstractions of animal heads: monkey, tiger and rabbit.

We appreciate how they visually interact with the shoes and look different from every angle. For instance, the monkey mask could be mistaken for a ‘gas mask’, until you see it from the front.

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theme title

steps beyond pump

designer

kaori suzuki

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2012

This is word play and shoe design coming together! Kaori set out to design a ‘pump’, in both meanings of the word...

She also considers how good design in footwear gives energy to movement, in manga cartoon style. Her school Hiko Mizuno has a strong culture of jewelry and accessories in metals and plastics, which shows in the crossover of disciplines

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deniz terli

jody parchment

rostand tchonsinyi

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theme jenna lievonen

title

abundance The designs in this story combine principles from the three previous ones, since they show a great appreciation for craft, whilst rethinking proportions and featuring highly imaginative materials and decoration. Functionality is not the purpose here, these shoes evoke pure desire.

In that sense, they actually have more to do with escapism than the designs in the previous theme.

In this time of economic and environmental crises, there is a strong need for beauty, romanticism, nostalgia and luxury and that is exactly what these shoes provide.

Inspiration comes from royalty, mythology and religion and as much as that results in breathtaking beauty, it also has a darker streak to it, questioning whether we can sustain such abundance.

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theme title

abundance renaissance of the abundance

designer

vera meijwaard

academy

artez (ba), arnhem

year

the story

2012

Vera’s designs reference the iconography of cult of the Virgin Mary. The common denominators of her collection are hyper-decoration and transformation, riches of a bygone era, translated into a new visual language. Her research led her to focus on four issues: halos, the interaction between the Virgin and the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove, the use of flowers in relation to Mary and votive gifts.

The shape of the shoes evolved from the curves of the depicted doves. By cutting, sampling, mirroring and rotating details of contemporary images of Mary she found the material for her prints. Vera’s designs may start out as sketches, but usually she passes directly to making the work as soon as the idea is clear in her head..

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photography: tom ten seldam

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theme title

abundance conscious imagination

designer

amber a.a. verstegen

academy

artez (ma), arnhem

year

the story

2012

Amber created three graduation projects: “Ice, Ice, Baby”, “Imprisonment of the Continuously Shifting” and “Original Sin(suality)” The first two concepts will be featured in the next theme of the catalogue; here we present some of her designs for “Original Sin(suality)”. These designs are inspired by early-Christian images of women, centring on the contrast between good and evil, and the Western notions of temptation and redemption. The figures of Eve and Lilith, the first for her attribution of original sin, the second as the original “feminist” in mythology (often represented as evil), inspired her to make designs that express both force and vulnerability, combining fierce platforms with feathers. Amber also earned a Master in Art History at the University of Amsterdam, where she worked on her thesis about the cross-fertilization between fashion and art.

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theme title

abundance artisan

designer

jody parchment

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2011

Jody’s collection ‘Artisan’ explores and challenges the boundaries between 17th and 18th century British Rococo furniture carving and wearable fashion footwear. The use of natural influences, traditional craftsmanship, British heritage and design, bespoke shoemaking and decorative laser cutting have always been focal points for her work and have pushed her to embody all their characteristics within this collection.

The shoes were realized by developing her own techniques for surface decoration using computer aided design wood carving and laser cutting techniques, which were achieved in practical studio based work. But she also worked very closely with various artisans such as master woodcarvers, gilders, heel makers, and a bespoke shoemaker.

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theme title

abundance beautiful rebel

designer

rostand tchonsinyidoen

academy

london college of fashion (ba)

year

the story

2012

Back in his high school days Rostand had to attend school dressed in uniform just like all other pupils.

The only way to stand out was through footwear and this is when he became obsessed with shoes.

His graduation collection ‘Beautiful Rebel’ is the culmination of both this obsession and the industry projects he did at LCF, for brands like Boss, Berghaus, Boudicca and Camper.

The shoes are an eclectic mixture of punk and biker influences, with a high-fashion baroque feel.

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theme title

abundance the beauty of constructed fusion

designer

jenna lievonen

academy

artez (ma), arnhem

year

the story

2012

We featured two other concepts from Jenna’s graduation collection in the Footwear Re-defined theme, yet this third one we present here, due to its decorative nature. As we explained before, Jenna concentrates on three elements, which she feels make a shoe complete: silhouette, texture and structure. This group focuses on texture. It is based on a graphical sequin technique: ornamental squares - like golden pixels - are added as ‘jewellery’ to the upper. At the same time though, the clean architectural shapes of the shoes reflect Jenna’s Scandinavian heritage.

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theme title

abundance dangerous liaisons

designer

deniz terli

academy

artez (ma), arnhem

year

the story

2012

We also featured the work of Deniz in the Footwear Re-defined theme, yet in this particular group she shows a more glamorous side, with softer shapes.

She continues to balance sex-appeal and strength, adding a golden metal part to the heel that upon closer inspection has the texture of a pin bed. The uppers loosely fit around the foot, both revealing and covering parts as you walk.

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theme title

abundance untitled

designer

chan jung (paul) kim

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2011

Chan Jung - better known as Paul - Kim fuses past and present in his collection. The influences from armour are apparent in the uppers and the use of veg-tan leather also reflects the early history of shoemaking. He uses leather-moulding techniques to make cup soles for modern hybrids of sneakers and Roman sandals. He applies 3D printing techniques to create futuristic looking, organically shaped heels. Both the shape and the use of colour add a dark, steampunk feel to the collection.

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theme title

abundance chrysalis

designer

ross barber

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2012

Ross Barber likes to combine traditional shoemaking techniques with new technologies such as 3D printing. With his Chrysalis collection he creates heels with this technique that defy the convention of sterile perfection often associated with this process. Even though the shoes depict movement, they are impossible to walk on. This is a highly intentional reference to the aesthetic and functional boundaries of women’s footwear in high-profile catwalks, inspired predominantly by the distinctive and critically acclaimed Chrysalis dance production by Wayne McGregor. This is also where they get their dark and slightly futuristic feel.

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theme title

abundance the river

designer

erina osanai

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

Erina created these shoes as part of a Swarovski collaboration where the brief was to embody the company’s themes for their seasonal collection, in footwear where the crystals were more than just decoration. She meant these shoes to express the flexibility of a woman who doesn’t look back and moves forward like a river. The rounded wedge bottoms indeed give the feeling of walking on waves, while the Swarovski crystals resemble the sparkling of the water. Erina won the Swarovski Award for this graduate work in 2011.

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theme title

abundance jeepers creepers, there’s the hootchie patrol

designer

bieke bettensnog niet doen

academy

sask, sint-niklaas

year

the story

2011

This collection is inspired by ‘the hootchie patrol’: Russian ‘prostitutes’ who rule the ghettos where they live, seducing and terrorizing men on the streets. The Russian influence is reflected in several ways. First of all, there is the layering of the upper, like a matryoshka doll: the sock, the shoe and the separate cover around the ankle. The red colours represent the flag of the former Soviet Union and so do the robust wooden heels, shaped after the hammer and sickle. These contrast with the eclectic and colourful uppers. The metal toe bumpers emphasize that these shoes are for feisty women rather than sweet girls.

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theme title

abundance acceptable in the future

designer

maximilian goldbach

academy

dsf, pirmasens

year

the story

2012

The Deutsche Schuhfachschule in Pirmasens is a vocational college, focusing on shoemaking skills rather than design. We do spot talented designers coming from this school though, showing collections that are industry ready.

Maximilian Goldbach, for instance, fuses streetwear trends with high fashion. The leopard print creates an exciting contrast with the architectural, sculptural heels and the neon colours.

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theme title

abundance untitled

designer

marlen kampa

academy

dsf, pirmasens

year

the story

2012

Marlen Kampa is another graduate from Deutsche Schuhfachschule showing a commercial graduation collection. The inspiration for her designs came from a trip to Paris, where she was fascinated by the contrast between the architectural shapes of iconic buildings - like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre’s Pyramid - and the romantic nostalgia that the city breaths. Both are reflected in her shoes, combining angular lines and silhouettes, with romantic perforations, sole prints and feminine pastels.

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theme title

abundance no title

designer

panyu collective

academy

guangzhou panyu polytechnic

year

the story

2012

The students of the Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic, a vocational school for shoes and leather goods design and as such the biggest and oldest of China, present themselves as a collective. The school is focused on the industrial side of the footwear business and is just starting to build its design curriculum, with the help of Slem. Earlier this year, we opened the Slem China office on the premises of the Guangzhou Polytechnic.

It is a big school, with several hundreds of students and an abundance of passion and talent that is promising for the future. The graduation designs of the students show their strong preference for dramatic theatrical styles, either luxurious and romantic or quirky and even clown-like.

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ross barber

milan sheen

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milan sheen

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theme

amber verstegen

title

bio mimicry This last story features some of the most spectacular works from the exhibition, both visually and technically. In fact, it often is the technology that makes them look striking.

These designs exist because of two developments that go hand in hand: the fast progress of scientific research and the increase of technology that allows us to actually visualize and mimic scientific discoveries in physical products.

Inspiration basically comes from the universe, but not just from deep space, also from the deep sea and from the nanoscale ‘universe’ that exists inside our cells.

Technologies such as 3D scanning and printing or CNC milling and materials with conductive yarns, such as Luminex, allow designers to create shoes with highly complex organic structures and luminescence. These developments will also alter the way we design and manufacture footwear, fusing technology and design, which will have a profound effect on education as well, fusing disciplines that were separated until now.

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theme title

biomimicry blue ring

designer

giulia tannini nog niet doen

academy

polimoda, florence

year

the story

2011

Giulia named her collection “Blue Ring� after a deadly octopus from the Pacific Ocean (Hapalochlaena Lunulata) that has large bright blue rings on its mantle. The intricate perforations for the upper were laser-cut , and then she coloured the edges by hand. The coral-like wooden heels also resemble the texture of the octopus skin and have been made using a CNC milling machine. Due to their complex structure each construction took between 7 and 14 days to make!

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theme title

biomimicry untitled

designer

milan sheen

academy

polimoda, florence

year

the story

2011

Milan Sheen’s shoes look more like works of art, or even works of nature. The universe is her main source of inspiration and you can see physics and biology at play in her designs. These rock-like pumps mimic natural formations caused by sedimentation and erosion. She laser cut these from regenerated leather and then painstakingly glued the layers together by hand, as if she was also trying to mimic the slow but steady pace at which nature operates...

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theme title

biomimicry the river

designer

yuki nakamura

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

These shoes, also part of the Swarovski collaboration brief, interpret the company’s theme by incorporating the crystals to represent a flowing river.

While the sandals look like they were 3D printed, they were actually hand carved! Yuki intended to combine conceptual thinking and craft, rather than making a wearable shoe. This was a huge and very successful departure for this designer who had concentrated only on performance sport shoes in the past.

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theme title

biomimicry a wrong mongrel

designer

ross barber

academy

london college of fashion (ma)

year

the story

2012

In this theme we feature yet another series of works by Ross Barber, again fusing handmade shoemaking and 3D print techniques. Yet in this collection, he takes the possibilities of 3D printing a few steps further, developing eight styles with unique outsoles that seem to spread across the shoes like a virus and/or eat away at them.

With this work he aims to balance conceptual and commercial design. In our opinion the commercial value of these designs exist in the fact that he gives an outlook on the future possibilities of 3D printing and how they will redefine what a shoe can be.

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theme title

biomimicry SW7 2EU

designer

tariq mahmoud

academy

royal college of art, london

year

the story

2012

Tariq’s background in bespoke men’s shoes is apparent in the quality of his work. Before coming to RCA, he worked for Lodger Footwear, a bespoke company in London, making classic men’s shoes and clothing. For his own collection though, he modernized classic looks in a way that is both profound and subtle. Rounded lines were made angular and details were minimized. What stands out most though is the use of material, which is why we decided to put him in this theme. He either created textures that resemble natural occurances, like resin ‘water drops’ on leather and sprayed wet look finishes, or distorted existing textures in new ways. For instance, he covered fur with translucent plastic, turning the hairy 3D texture into a smooth surface that almost looks like a hand drawn graphic. As we were writing this catalogue, we were informed that Tariq started as a men’s shoe designer for Givenchy.

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theme title

biomimicry untitled

designer

maurice van de stouwe

academy

royal college of art, london

year

the story

2012

We already presented these shoes by Maurice van de Stouwe in the Footwear Re-defined theme, but from a different angle... literally! As we explained, his collection was inspired by the first expeditions on Mount Everest, more specifically by the contrast between the harsh natural circumstances and the simple climbing gear. This contrast is reflected in the metal heels, which have been treated with acid. We also feel these reflect the need of the climbers to contain and conquer nature. The acid stains are natural and irregular, yet contained by the geometric metal plates and sometimes even placed in a highly unnatural symmetric way, like mosaics.

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theme title

biomimicry conscious imagination

designer

amber verstegendoen

academy

artez (ma), arnhem

year

the story

2012

In the previous theme we already discussed Amber’s “Original Sin(suality)”group and as promised we present the other two stories in her collection here: “Ice, Ice, Baby” (next page), and “Imprisonment of the Continuously Shifting” (this page).

The origin of these two concepts is the representation of that which cannot be captured by definition: a fleeting thing such as water solidified in ice or something as ephemeral as light. Her choice of materials allows her to visualize the intangible, using technology as a framework. For instance, she applied modern techniques such as 3D-printing to create organically shaped metal heels and Luminex fabric with LED lighting to actually shine light on her ideas.

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theme title

biomimicry magnetic

designer

yusuke inoue

academy

hiko mizuno, tokyo

year

the story

2011

Yusuke does not just mimic the force of nature, he actually uses it! This boot looks quite common in its ‘bare’ state, yet he sealed magnets between upper and lining, so you can stick any metal object to it, creating your own eclectic pattern of hardware.

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designer index aku bäckström: akubackstrom.com

erina osanai: www.hikohiko.jp

keiko shindo: www.hikohiko.jp

mayano koyano: www.hikohiko.jp

sarah ahn:

giulia tannini:

laura gostling: lauragostling.wordpress.com

milou van den berg: milouvandenberg.blogspot.com

takuya takizawa: www.hikohiko.jp

laura.gostling@gmail.com

info.milouvandenberg@gmail.com

lieke de koning: www.liekos.nl

milan sheen:

tariq mahmoud: www.tariqm.co.uk

milansheen@gmail.com

tariq@tariqm.co.uk

min song:

vera meijwaard: www.verameijwaard.nl

sysarah.ahn@gmail.com

akubackstrom@googlemail.com

amber verstegen:

g.tanini88@virgilio.it

amberverstegen@hotmail.com

anuk yoseb:

helen furber: www.helenfurber.com

anuk.yoseb@gmail.com

helen@helenfurber.com

liekedekoning@gmail.com

bieke bettens: biekebettens.blogspot.com

hiroe haruki: hiroeharuki@hotmail.co.uk

lotta astrid: lotta-astrid.tumblr.com

minsong.mk@gmail.com

jody parchment: www.jodyparchment.com

lotta.astrid@gmail.com

moe okoshi: www.hikohiko.jp

jodyparchment@yahoo.co.uk

manami sato: www.hikohiko.jp

biekebettens@gmail.com

cat potter: www.catpotter.com cat.potter1@gmail.com

chan jung (paul) kim: www.eminandpaul.com

jenna lievonen: www.jennalievonen.com yennalievonen@yahoo.com

marie oka: www.hikohiko.jp

paul@eminandpaul.com

chloe stanyon: chloestanyon.blogspot.com chloestanyon@hotmail.com

daisuke horie: www.hikohiko.jp

info@verameijwaard.nl

acow995@hotmail.com

nahee jang: www.bunka-fc.ac.jp

ju hee kang: www.hikohiko.jp katri jääskeläinen

yasuhiro hiray: www.hikohiko.jp

netta makkonen: nettamakkonen@gmail.com

jozefien vandermarliere: www.academiesintniklaas.be

yan guo:

young won kim:

marlen kampa: www.deutsche-schuhfachschule.net

panyu collective:

maurice van de stouwe: www.mvandestouwe.net

roderick pieters: www.roderickpieters.com

m.vandestouwe@gmail.com

roderick.pieters@gmail.com

yunae song: www.hikohiko.jp

maximilian goldbach: www.deutsche-schuhfachschule.net

ross barber: www.ross-barber.com

yusuke inoue: www.hikohiko.jp

andreainthepresent@googlemail.com david.hsieh@dhdlondon.com

yuhei takahashi: www.hikohiko.jp

katri.e.jaaskelainen@student.hamk.fi

deniz terli: denizterli.com info@denizterli.com

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kaori suzuki: www.hikohiko.jp

designstudio@ross-barber.com

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thank you

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contact details

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contact details

SLEM-Waalwijk Raadhuisplein 1-2 5141 KG Waalwijk The Netherlands telephone: +31 416 757630 info@slem.nl www.slem.nl

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the story

We are proud to present the catalogue of the “Watch our Steps!” exhibition. We intend this as the first of an annual celebration, bringing together the best footwear graduation works from around the globe.

Connecting established research and education facilities within the footwear and leather goods sector is a major priority for SLEM. We have already found that “Watch our Steps!” is an excellent first step in that direction.

We want to thank all participating schools, designers and their teachers for their wonderful collaboration.

Rather than presenting the works divided by the school of origin, we decided to organize them according to the themes we recognized as we collected these shoes.

“Watch our Steps!” gives an incredible overview of what is important to these young talents and functions as a unique tool for forecasting, portraying the visions of the future generation of footwear designers. After all, in a way, even these shoes are foot prints left behind in their creative journey... but they can indicate where they are heading. We will keep watching their steps as they move ahead in their careers.