1

introducing SLEMAfter almost two years of preparation we are very proud to introduce you to our new footwear innovation and education center called SLEM, by means of the first SLEM magazine. Our activites will expand as we go along, so please keep checking our website:www.slem-waalwijk.blogspot.com.

You will find that this magazine is filled with an abun-dance of valuable information about footwear innovation and education, covering both long term and short term developments in footwear design. We welcome any questions and input, for which you can email us at: slem.waalwijk@gmail.com.

Nicoline van Entercreative director SLEM

Carl van der Puttenproject manager SLEM

SLEM is a nonprofit organization; by buying our maga-zine your are supporting our activities and we kindly thank you for that. Currently we are preparing to move to our final location and we will keep you posted about our official opening celebrations in September of 2012.We look forward to seeing you there!

3

5

10

12

26

40

54

68

82

136

5

Contents

Introducing Masterclass Industrial Footwear Design

Trend information AW 2013-14

Theme 1: Coming of Age

Theme 2: Bewitched

Theme 3: Retrometry

Theme 4: Simplicity

Theme 5: Mish Mash

Catalogue The Future (Un)Folds

Index

On the next pages we will present a summary of the most important trends for AW 2013-14, combining infor-mation from a variety of resources, including the most recent catwalk and graduation shows and detailed footwear images from footwear trade shows. SLEM’s creative director Nicoline van Enter, renowned for the forecasts she made with her company Ytrends, has distilled five long term trend themes that are relevant for both men’s and women’s footwear and sneakers. In the future you can expect SLEM to offer trend seminars, yet should you require more informa-tion in the mean time, we are happy to help you. Please email us at:slem.waalwijk@gmail.com.

trends AW 13-14

11

In the hunt for authenticity and quality we have now finally ended up in the period before the industrial age, taking inspiration from the turn of the previous century and even before. This trend is not just fed by a hunger for nostalgia, it also fits the need in our current society for a more for-mal appearance. Furthermore, it offers romance and even mystery. Even though society as such appeared western, customs were very different, so we especially find inspira-tion taken from the oddities of those days, as is portrayed in the images on this page. This idea is also reflected in the footwear on the next pages: a lot of attention has been paid to craft and quality, making shoes look aged and antique, yet there are subtle twists to them.

comingof age

Alex Randall

Joshua Dalsimer

13

Logically, shapes and proportions in this story are greatly inspired by footwear from the turn of the 19th century, or even before. This will present some challenges for today’s consumer, because both lasts and shafts were much slim-mer then, hugging the arch, ankle and leg, yet without using any stretch materials. Back then, many shoes were made to measure by a cobbler. Translating this idea to our current system of mass production requires great at-tention to fit and some ingenuity, such as slightly elongat-ing lasts for comfort and adding zippers or (hidden) elastic parts in order to make the shaft fit snugly without having to depend on just the laces.

shape

Guidi

Carol Christian Poell 15

womenInspiration is taken from old fashioned lace-up booties, which at first sight can actually appear old. Yet the proportions and shapes of the heels give away that these shoes are actually current, Stacked leather is used to create rather chunky rounded heels and wedges.

Men’s shoes have a rather flamboyant streak in this story, looking back at the dandy-ish

style of the 19th century, Lasts are slim, straight and elongated

and heels are relatively high, yet still masculine,

men

Guidi Guidi

McQ

Alexander McQueen

PS Kaufman

Ma+

Jean Michel Cazabat

Jean Baptiste Reautureau

17

This story is especially directional for casual high-end footwear, so the focus is on sturdy hand crafted construc-tions with a casual twist. In general inspiration comes from traditional constructions, yet with the focus being on craft and uniqueness, we also find modern hand made interpre-tations, like these rubber dip outsoles

construc

tion

Carol Christian Poell19

Soles either really are or ap-pear to be completely hand crafted, showing nails and/or stitching. The boot by A 1923 shows what we mean by adding a current twist: a modern prefab profile sole was attached to an otherwise traditional leather outsole con-struction.

soles

uppersWith the focus being on

beautiful materials and a hand crafted feel, we find uppers that have a rather minimal construc-

tion: unlined and with panels that are simply cut rather than

stitched, or with seams that are turned outwards.

a 1923

Guidi

a 1923

a 1923

Officine Creative

21

The focus is largely on the finish, which should make sure the shoe looks aged. Please realize that this is not a distressed and torn look though, It is more like the shoes were worn by someone from an upper class family who did not have to do any hard labour, yet they were kept in the attack for at least a century, showing dust, mould or salt stains, but no damages such as tears or cuts.The colours as such are natural and rich, with warm browns, bottle greens and oxblood reds, but due to the finish these are a little desaturated.

colour and

material

Martin Margiela 23

finishHere you see the weathered finishes we spoke of, stain-ing and oxidizing the surface, either allover or partially. This story is mostly about leathers and suedes with a high quality though, either smooth or with a natural looking grain.

Colours are very rich and natural, with a focus on warm browns, dark reds and violets or hunter’s green. They are used in rather monochrome colour ways, combining finished and unfinished looks, so on some parts of the shoe the colour looks faded or burnished.

colours

O’Keeffe

Officine Creative

Martin Margiela Boris Bidjan Saberi

John Varvaty Guidi

Anatin Dietro Atelier do Sapato

OXSElin Melin Christoper Raeburn

19-1230 TPX

19-1526 TPX

17-1048 TPX

17-1048 TPX

25

This story portrays a dark vision of the future, reflect-ing people’s fears of any kind of apocalypse, whether it is Earth crashing into another planet, an alien invasion or science turned bad, changing the human race as we know it. At the same time there is a curiosity for the mystery of what comes after, as is shown in the images of Victor Enrich who gives a dark surreal spin to his photographs of modern cities, or the abyss filled with vortexes of humans made by Angelo Musco. The work of both artists is fright-ening yet stunningly beautiful at the same time. The same counts for the shoes in this story, They start from a clean modernist perspective, but with a surreal ‘bewitched’ touch.

bewitched

Victor Enrich

Angelo Musco

27

Shape is essential for this story which focuses mostly on proportion rather than on colour or material. Basically all designs in this theme share the same recipe: they start from a known classic, clean that up and then distort it in some way. Asher Levine’s take on Converse brilliantly por-trays how that works. He took the classic Allstar silhouette, hid the fastening and then elongated the shaft in a very geometric way. Obviously these shoes are experimental, yet you can use the same design principle in a more mod-est way for commercial styles.

shape

Asher Levine

Asher Levine

29

organic We find both organic and geo-

metric silhouettes in this story, yet especially the organic ones have a mysterious ‘bewitched’

quality, like the fangs under-neath the shoe by United Nude for Iris van Herpen, or the heels of Hussein Chalayan’s sneakers

for Puma. New technologies such as rapid prototyping are key to achieve such alienating

shapes.

geometricThe geometric silhouettes have a more architectural look, yet they also play with distorting proportion, for instance by combining low and flat heels in one shoe, as was done by Acne, or by playing with cov-ered wedges. In general these shoes have a lot of volume, yet they are still sexy. Fastenings are minimized or hidden.

Hussein Chalayan for Puma

Acne

Gareth PughUnited Nude for Iris van Herpen

Asher Levine Acne

Camilla Skovgaard Ann Demeulemeester

Cinzia AraiaAcne

31

Construction is strongly inspired by armour, which is no surprise considering the dark nature of this story. Uppers are layered, either in a subtle way by placing parts on top of each other with minimal stitching or in a more extreme sense, by ‘fencing them in’, as is shown in these two styles.

construc

tion

Asher Levine

Gareth Pugh

33

minimal Uppers are either deconstruct-

ed or show minimal construction, featuring unlined shafts that are

simply wrapped or folded. To maintain the architectural look, materials are firm though and

cut in straight, geometric panels, covering upper and sole.

Armour is a strong inspiration, leading to styles that are made up out of shells of leather or synthetics that are nailed into the upper material. To preserve comfort they are able to hinge in areas where this is necessary.

armour

Cinzia Araia Asher Levine

Asher Levine

Asher Levine

Roderick Pieters

Cinzia Araia

Cinzia Araia

Gareth Pugh

35

With the emphasis being on shape, colours and materials are plain and basic, yet not boring. Since black and grey are key shades, we find materials that are textured. In contrast to the previous story these textures do not have to look natural at all, but can have a high-tech, futuristic or mysterious feel.

colour and

material

Asher Levine

Asher Levine

37

texture Textures look like alien animal skin, either in leather or in synthetics. Technologies such as laser slitting lead to new futuris-tic kinds of ‘fake fur’.

colour The key colour for this story is black, yet we also find some oth-er sensual shades, like blood red or skin tones. Generally, all styles are unicolour or monochrome, to emphasize the silhouette.

Asher Levine Calvin Klein

Acne

Acne United Nude for Iris van Herpen

Bart Hess for United Nude Gareth Pugh

18-0000 TPX

19-1526 TPX

16-1144 TPX

BLACK

39

This third story is part of the ongoing trend in retro styles, which is now getting a modernist touch, hence the name ‘Retrometry’. In contrast to the previous story, this theme shows a much more positive outlook on the future, not prediction this disruption, but continuation of what we have achieved so far. It is mostly taking inspiration from Nordic design, with its clean geometric shapes and fresh colours. Art movements like De Stijl, with its geometric colour blocking, are influencing the design of footwear. As in the previous theme we can recognize a similar recipe: known classics are abstracted in shape and then coloured using bold colour blocks.

retrometry

Note Design Studio

Studio Ve

41

In this story both silhouette and colour use are key, since both emphasize and complement each other. Classic archetypes are abstracted to a degree where they can hardly be recognized and are then coloured in a way that makes them look even more geometric.

shape

United Nude

Fly London

43

classics Here you see how classic

archetypes can be abstracted. Often, only one element is

altered, for instance, putting a pointed toe on a classic loafer or giving the heel an architec-

tural feel.

wedges To create shoes that are both retro, yet feminine and geomet-ric, we see a focus on all kinds of wedge heels. Apart from angular geometric shapes, we also see more ‘friendly looking’ organic varieties, sometimes combining both a straight heel and a wedge. The colour blocking we mentioned, is con-tinued on the sole.

JW Anderson

Won Hundred

Bally

Yves Desfarge

Esska United Nude

Acne

Balenciaga

Hoon Chung

Jason Wu

Acne

45

The constructions in this story often look like two or more completely opposite shoes were fused or just directly at-tached together. These Prada styles for instance, could be considered a hybrid of a rain boot and a classic oxford or high-heeled sandal. On the next page we find some more examples of hybrids, yet the influence from rainwear is an important one to keep in mind.

construc

tion

Prada

Prada

47

reformFor a trendy audience we find styles that look like they were deconstructed and then put back together using another shoe.

fuse We also find an influence from sportswear, merging eva out-

soles with classic uppers, yet in a more exaggerated way than before, adding lots of volume, whilst keeping the weight low.

Pam Hogg’s idea, using a classic bag to cover a shoe is

intriguing and could be applied in a more commercial manner.

Mihara Yasuhiro

Kei Kagami

Nuo Chen

Mihara Yasuhiro

Swear

Acne Surface to Air

Hego’s

Ostwald Helgason

Pam Hogg

Thom Browne

49

Colour and material really make a design in this story and you can take them quite far. If we look at clothing collec-tions we find that they mix both colour and material block-ing, combining a range of contrasting prints in geometric patterns, Translated to footwear this leads to panels made in different colours and materials, giving a fashionable twist to rather classic styles.

colour and

material

B-Store

Fornarina

51

graphicsGeometric patterns are key for materials and for footwear these can be achieved in a number of ways, from printing to weaving and patchwork. If you think this is not commercial, then please remember that multi-colour shoes combine well with everything too!

colourIn general the recipe for colour use is to take a classic neutral

shade and juxtapose it with one or multiple bright contrast-

ing colours, using bold colour blocking. For shoes in a higher price range we expect to see an original use of ‘overprint-

ing’, as was done in Walter van Beirendonck’s collection: print-ing one big geometric shape

over multiple parts.

Lola Ramona

Chie Mihara

Floris van Bommel

Basso Brooke

Walter van Beirendonck

Lucielle L’Italien

Cole Haan

Hiriko Nakajima

Trickers

15-3507 TPX

18-4043 TPX

14-0848 TPX

15-0309 TPX

53

The main principle of this theme is to combine the best of both worlds: natural and man-made. There is a growing need for sustainable products and most people assume - although not always correctly - that natural materials are always eco. However, consumers are getting fed up with things that look ‘granola’ and want products to look attractive. At the same time, natural raw materials are getting scarce and thus more expensive, which is appar-ent in the rising prices of leather and wood, for instance. To compensate for these extra costs constructions will be minimized, which in turn enhances the modern vibe.

simplicity

Khrystyna Fomenko

Khrystyna FomenkoEatable of Many OrdersAnnie Vallis

55

In order to maintain a clean modern look, we find minimal-ist styles and silhouettes, stripping a shoe down to its bare essentials. This counts for all kinds of footwear, as you can see here, from casual to dress. Shapes are balancing or-ganic and geometric elements, with a strong architectural flavour, playing with proportions.

shape

Acne

Acne

57

soberThe recipe for this story is: cre-

ating a clean silhouette, omitting any details and then making it in luxurious natural (looking) materi-

als. The styles in this story are generally nonseasonal, which

makes sense, because they are meant to be timeless.

silhouetteEspecially for women’s shoes the silhouettes show what the fusion between man made and natural means: geometric architectural shapes, often with disproportional heels, are made in natural materials or colours.

Lanvin Minimarket

Yifang Wan

Coclico

Ann Demeulenmeester

Acne

Vic Matie

Yves Desfarge

Cinzia Araia

Liebeskind

59

Rather than speaking of construction, we could better speak of ‘deconstruction’ for this story, since the idea is to make construction both minimal and visible. This means that seams are either absent or turned outwards, that ele-ments are attached in other ways besides stitching, or are only partially attached, like the strap on the bootie above.

construc

tion

Acne

Surface to Air

61

blocksShoes are divided in clear

blocks, both through construc-tion, material and colour. Fas-

tenings are omitted or not used, like on the Rick Owens boot.

craftEven though the overall look is very modern, this story has a hand crafted streak, using

vegetan leathers and minimal constructions in shoes with a

hand crafted feel. For instance, we find new kinds of geometric

‘patchwork’, either using the panels of the shoe or by add-

ing bold hardware.

Martin Margiela

Alexander Wang

Rick Owens Vic Matie

Kris van Assche

Vic Matie

Anne Thorbjornsen

Diego Vanassibara

Roderick Pieters

Ryusaku Hiruma

63

Materials are natural and of high quality, whether these are leather or textile. The booties on this page show what we mean by ‘high quality’, yet we realize this level is not attainable for every brand. To emphasize the modern flavour we also find contrasts of high-tech and natural materials. Colours are natural and monochrome

colour and

material

Rag and Bone65

monoYet in general the shoes in this story are rather monochrome,

using one colour for both upper and sole, or applying materials that have the same shade but

a different texture, The trend in gradient colours continues, es-pecially to create a ‘wet look’,

applying a darker and/or shiny finish to one part of the shoe.

Acne

Alexander Wang

Vans & Taka Hayashi

Acne

Pedro Garcia Yifang Wan

Vic Matie

Mr. Hare

Kop & Staart

B-Store

15-0309 TPX

16-1439 TPX

16-1144 TPX

19-1241 TPX

contrastColour and material can be ap-plied in bi-colour or matte/shine

contrasts, for instance using straps. Of course you can also

make these detachable.

67

This story has its roots in youth subculture, showing both deep frustration and hope for a better future. It looks like a multitude of styles are mixed randomly, yet if you look closely, you will recognize the ingredients that are combined: lower class ‘bad taste’ or ‘ghetto’ elements (leopard prints, shiny glittery fabrics), nineties flavour (when this generation was born), ethnic looks (inspired by the many immigrants in cities), warrior elements (Roman soldiers and crusaders) and neo-hippie flavours (since this is a left wing movement). You could consider this trend a new kind of punk, fighting those who are in power, yet using modern means, such as social media, and celebrating cultural diversity. So even though the overall look is rather aggressive, it is not dark at all.

missmatch

mishmash

Ashish

Louise Gray Jeremy Scott Bernhard Wilhelm

69

This story shows a multitude of influences, yet a sense of humour is essential for all of them, which is why we picked these pumps by Kobi Levi as an introduction. Furthermore they symbolize the fact that we indeed find styles with a figurative (heel) shape, although these might not be for everybody. On the next pages you will also see how exaggerating volume is essential, whether it concerns sexy high-heeled platforms or thick creeper styles.

shape

Kobi Levi

Kobi Levi

71

surrealThe use of weird last shapes and outrageous (covered) plat-forms leads to a surreal look that is often still sexy though, due to the enormous height of the heel.

thickSince this look can be con-sidered a new kind of punk it is not surprising that we find styles from the punk age, yet translated in a much more psychedelic way, adding colour either in the upper and/or sole.The use of EVA allows the vol-ume to be exaggerated.

Laura Gostling

Lola Ramona

Fam IrvollFam Irvoll

Elin Melin

Studio Rain

Pam Hogg

RHLS

Philipp Schuller

Hoon Chung

Studio Rain

Manish Arora

73

We chose these ‘crashed’ shoes to talk about construc-tions, because we either find styles that look like they were ‘patched up’ or that are so studded you could easily hurt others with them, although they are not designed for that. Because again, these images also show the sense of hu-mour that is required, so even if you decide to make a shoe look highly aggressive, there should be some element that counters that and brings a smile to a consumer’s face...

construc

tion

Garrigosa Studio

Garrigosa Studio

75

patchworkWe find a creative use of patch-work for the upper, either using a mish mash of materials or cre-ating figurative decoration, Be careful though to not create a look that is too ‘granola’...

studdedWe find an abundance of

studs, nails, and spikes, yet these are often used on styles where you don’t expect them, like classic loafers. The idea is to create a look that is both funny, tacky and sometimes

slightly futuristic.

Mini Market

Osborn

Jan Jansen

Hego’s

Hego’s

Thom Browne

Jeffrey Campbell

Jeffrey CampbellJenny Postlt

Jenny Postlt

77

For this story your options for both colour and material are endless, in fact, the whole idea is that you do NOT choose any single colour or material, but juxtapose sev-eral. For materials this leads to combinations of both prints and textures and for colours it means that you basically mix all of them, but stay away from black, unless it is com-bined with more colourful shades.

colour and

material

Taylor Says

Taylor Says

79

tacky funThe purpose for materials is to create something that is so tacky that it becomes funny. This means you either ‘miss match’ materials and prints or use a material that you would normally never apply to such a style, like the lurex fabric on the hiker boot.

colourfulWhen it comes to colours, we have only one advice: knock yourself out! And remember

that multi-colour shoes combine with lots of outfits in the same

way that black shoes do!

Hego’s

Le CLÇ

Underground for Mugler

Dr. Martens

Beverly Feldman

Ashish

Taylor Says

Jeremy Scott

Avantin Dietro

Junya Watanabe

18-4043 TPX

17-1937 TPX

14-6340 TPX

16-0836 TPX

81

On the next pages you find the catalogue of the exhibition “The Future (Un)folds” which we made for the GDS show in Düsseldorf in March 2012. The idea came to mind as soon as we knew that this would be the venue where we would unfold our plans for the future and present SLEM to the public for the first time. Not only was the principle of folding an appropriate metaphor for the occasion, it also represents what SLEM stands for: combining old and new knowledge to help create a better future for the footwear business.

After all, folding was the way our primeval ancestors made shoes, yet ironically, but certainly not coincidentally, we find that it is getting a second wind today, through the use of innovative materials and sustainable constructions. These give a whole new perspective on the use of folding, so we decided to look at the subject from various angles and collected a great variety of shoes. Almost all of these designs were actually shown at GDS, yet we also added a few that are very directional but unfortunately were not available to be presented in Germany at the time.

Since SLEM supports young footwear designers and students, many of the designs presented belong to recent graduation projects or experimental collec-tions, yet we also feature mass-made commercial items. We feel that together these represent the best in folded footwear and prove that folding is both an inspirational and functional idea for all segments of the footwear business,

“The Future (Un)folds” was made in collaboration with the Virtual Shoe Mu-seum, an online footwear museum specialized in experimental shoes and one of the partners of SLEM, together with the Dutch Shoe and Leather Museum. We would like to thank them, GDS and the designers who took part for their support. This exhibition is only the first of many more SLEM exhibitions to come, We welcome any comments and input for future subjects at: slem.waalwijk@gmail.com.

the best in folded footwear

shoe

by

Beat

riz E

spinos

a G

arcia

83

The shoe shown on the left is the oldest leather shoe in the world: it is 5500 years old and was found in 2010 in a cave in Armenia by a group of ar-cheologists. As you can see it is only one piece of naturally tanned leather that was wrapped around the foot and held together by leather laces. Both the construction and the material are still the base of many shoes today, from traditional moccasins to sandals. Modern means, such as strong kinds of glue, allow for more variety in wrapping and pleating vegetan leather, like the shoe below by Belgian designer Anne Poesen. However, we also find many design-ers staying as close as possible to the primeval construction in order to omit any toxic elements and create a product that is as sustainable as possible.

1. wrapping

85

For his graduation project called ‘FlipFolds’, made for arts academy Artez in Arnhem, The Netherlands, designer Andreas Pijlman was inspired by ethnic sandals from various parts of the world. Just like the primitive shoe on the previous page, his vegetan sandals also consist of only one piece of leather, yet he uses modern technology to create cleaner and more complex pat-terns than are possible to make by hand, His patterns are laser cut and laser etched and can then simply be folded and stitched together, using hardly any glue. The resulting sandals are modern and stylish, yet the unfolded patterns are also beautiful as such and provide a great way of making an average consumer understand how a shoe can be made in a more sustainable way.

andreas pijlman

87

Wrapping, scrolling and folding are the key words for Susanna Battistutto’s collection Winding Volutes, which she made during her second year at the

IUAV University in Venice, where she is currently finishing her 5-years gradu-ate degree programme in Fashion Design and Theories. Starting from a flat

surface, she set out to create three-dimensional shapes, taking inspiration from both nature and art. By moulding complex patterns the surface becomes a

volume when curved, folded and wrapped on itself, emphasizing the essential role of movements, instead of cutting or sewing. All parts were glued together

around a curved metal sheet, enabling the shoes to carry the weight of the wearer. Apart from shoes the collection also contains bags, belts and brace-

lets that are made using the same principle.

susanna battistutto

89

Manami Saito’s Japanese roots are clearly reflected in her collection of folded black leather shoes, made for her graduation at Artez in Arnhem. The Nether-lands. Her collection consists of two groups: one with organically shaped out-soles of thick vegetan leather that was folded to create an open wedge and one with very geometric sandals, reminding of the traditional Japanese geta. For this group the leather was wrapped around a metal core to make sure the open heel can support the weight of the wearer and maintain its geometric shape. Saito started her project by folding shoes from black paper until she found the right shapes to reproduce in leather.

manamisaito

91

This shoe called Armadillo shows how the simple principle of wrapping strips of leather around a last can lead to a very wearable and not to mention beautiful shoe. For designer Roderick Pieters it was actually his first shoe as

a result of a shoe design workshop at Artez in Arnhem, The Netherlands,

where he graduated in footwear design in 2011. The search for alter-

native shoe constructions led to this surprising shape and functionality. The strips create a new lacing system and keep the upper from wrinkling. It was chosen as the best shoe of the work-shop by Floris van Bommel and was

exhibited in Milan at Salone Internazi-onale del Mobile in 2009

roderick pietersThese cardboard sneakers apply the same principle as the ones on the opposite page, yet using cardboard. These are some of the earlier works of renowned German graffiti artist Boris Hoppek; we found them a few years ago at the Pictoplasma festival in Berlin. He wrapped strips of card-board around an existing shoe and glued a cardboard sole underneath it, thus creating a ‘canvas’ for his graph-ics. We feel it would be a nice idea if all shoes could come with replaceable shoe covers that you can draw on, allowing the wearer to keep changing the ‘facade’ of the shoe without hav-ing to throw the interior away. Card-board is not functional for actual use, of course, yet there must be other alternatives.

boris hoppek

93

Basically folding is geometry put into action, moving back and forth between a 2D and 3D environment. Obviously, with the human body being a com-plex organic shape and most foldable materials being fairly stiff, folded shoes usually have a much more abstract silhouette than the actual foot they are covering. That is not just a challenge, but also part of the attraction of making folded footwear,

This is reflected in the designs on the next pages and in the Inemotion project by young Brazilian designer Andreia Chaves, featured on this page, which she made for her master’s degree in shoe design at Polimoda in Florence, Italy. She was inspired by the motion of the human body and wanted to capture that in shoes, resulting in the use of semi-transparent material folded around a solid core. Chaves currently has a showroom in Milan where she sells her conceptual shoes that always involve innovative materials and technologies, We expect her to be one of the most directional designers for the future.

2. geometry & abstraction

95

Art and architecture are big influences for footwear. Tea Petrovic, for instance, chose the sculptures of Naum Gabo and the architecture of Santiago Calatrava as the main inspiration for her graduation collection at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. The collection consists of ten paper prototypes, which can be divided into three groups: architectural, linear constructions and wings/variations. The first group was inspired by Calatrava’s architecture, the second by Naum Gabo’s sculptures, while the third is a fusion of the first two. When it comes to shape, the focus is on sharp geometrical lines, fused with lightness and soft organic shapes. The heel is the starting point for each shoe, as it is the most architectural and sculptural element of a shoe.

teapetrovic

97

To those in the know, the first name that comes to mind when thinking of folded footwear is Marloes ten Bhömer, a Dutch footwear designer based in London. Her works question our perception of functionality, fusing art and technology to create an origami-like production, working with materials ranging from wood to polyurethane resin, tarpaulin, steel and fibreglass. This architectural Beigefold-edshoe is made out of one piece of vegetan leather folded around a stainless

steel heel. The shoe took two years of engineering in order to make it functional, comfortable and wearable and is currently available through her website.

marloestenbhömer

99

In her works Ten Bhömer questions why shoes have changed so little over the past centuries, exploring methods of construction that are known from other products, such as vacuum forming. This Pressedleathershoe is made from only three parts, using a leather processing technique in which leather is soaked in water and pressed in between a two-part mould, forming it into a three-dimen-sional shape. The leather parts are then dried, cut and assembled into one shoe, embedding the structure that gives the shoe it’s strength.

marloesten

bhömer

101

With her graduation collection for Artez in Arnhem, The Netherlands, made in 2010, Anna Korshun shows that stitching is not necessary to make shoes. Instead, she adopted vacuum-forming, a technique normally used for furniture making, This allows them to be made in one go from only one or two pieces of leather. Several of the prototypes were made by Camper.

annakorshun

103

Folding is essential for the work of Dutch clothing designer Winde Rien-stra, who is constantly experimenting with new materials and innovative ways of folding to make her intrigu-ing clothes that are on the verge between art and fashion, For her collection for autumn/winter 2012 she made these architectural wedge heels entirely from cardboard. They are the result of a laborious process, meticu-lously cutting and pasting pieces of cardboard, mimicking the process of 3D printing by hand.

winde rienstra

105

When thinking of folding, the Japanese art of origami is one of the first things that comes to mind. It has been an inspiration for footwear designers for many years, yet often the technique had to be translated to other materials besides paper, in order to make the shoes wearable. However, for a project exploring the capabilities of paper at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, Canada, design student Cindy Chen managed to prove that two sheets of bristol board of 11 by 17 inches each could support the weight of the human body. For this she used an intricate kind of origami, creating a flexible yet firm construction.

3. origami

107

Le Creative Sweatshop is the result of the encounter between Mathieu Mis-siaen of studio Ndeur and Julien Morin of Make a Paper World in January 2009: a conceptual agency based on modern communication means and mediums, through the lense of the DIY culture, working on volume and space scenography.

Both men are greatly inspired by geometry and their combined experi-ence in customizing shoes (Mathieu Missiaen) and making paper art works (Julien Morin) led to these conceptual origami pumps. They are not wear-able, yet merely meant for presenta-tion purposes.

le creative sweatshop

109

This origami shoe concept called «EIN/TRITT» landed Swiss designer Catherine Meuter a seasonal assistant job at

both Nicholas Kirkwood and concept designer Marloes ten Bhömer. «EIN/TRITT» combines traditional shoe production with modern manufacturing, which results in a considerable simplification of the production flow. Flat shoe patterns with

reinforced parts get folded and fixed. The client experi-ences the transformation of the shoe from its initial flat state into a comfortable wearable object. Meuter currently works

as a men’s shoe designer for Giorgio Armani in Milan.

catherinemeuter

111

Transforming a 2D surface into a 3D object can not only lead to new shapes and constructions, as we have seen on the previous pages, yet it also has oth-er advantages. For instance, we find designers creating highly practical shoes that are packable and easy to transport or travel with. Or we find paper representations of actual shoes, which say more than just a ‘flat’ photograph. Israeli brand CoupleOf for example, had an architect make pop-up versions of one of their designs. In her recent book Shoe Love, Jessica Jones included sev-eral pop-up shoes, explaining both the history of shoes and current novelties.

4. packable & pop-up

113

This Pop-Up Slipper by Japanese studio Genta Design is meant for travelling. They come in a flat pouch that you can easily tuck away in your hand luggage. When you want to be comfortable on an airplane you can take off your shoes and quickly transform the flat soles into a wearable slipper by folding up the incisions on either side and clicking them together to create a strap.

gentadesign

French design studio Lo created these simple yet cute ‘Pod’ house slippers from one layer of felt. The corners of the pattern slot into each other and the pressure of the foot keeps them shut tightly. We also appreciate the original plastic pouch which allows them to be presented well and easily be shipped in an envelope.

studio lo

115

Spanish performance-artist Alicia Framis invited footwear brand United Nude to make a shoe design for her “Moon Life” project, which is about space travel and the speculation of future living in space. The outcome is the United Nude Flat Pack shoe: a high-heeled fashionable shoe that customers can assemble themselves, while the uppers of the shoes are interchangeable and suitable for cus-tomizing. The base of the shoe is built from flat carbon fibre pieces, molded foot-bed pieces and 3-dimensional sole pieces that simply slot into each other. These parts are all adjoined by a thin wire span on the sides. The upper of the shoe is a lace with 2 leather pieces. According to United Nude the as-sembly should take no longer than 10 minutes for each shoe. However, we do wonder if having separate parts is practical when they start levitating in space...? UN is currently working on creating a commercial limited edition of the Moon Life Flat Pack shoe.

united nude

117

Shelly and Elon Satat Kombor - husband and wife and the designers behind CoupleOf - often use a very hands-on approach to developing their shoes, starting from experimental hand crafted prototypes and then translating these into wearable commercial styles. Recently they asked artist and architect Nadav Bignitz to create real size pop-up paper versions of their ‘Lily’ laced shoe. Apart from this being a very original way to promote their shoes, it also reflects their approach to design.

couple of

119

Making shoes through folding can also lead to more sustainable designs. On the previous pages we already featured several concepts that are easy to dis-assemble or largely diminish the need for adhesives. Yet the material used for folding can also improve sustainability. For instance, we find designers recycling cardboard or paper, such as Mark O’Brien’s shoes made out of the packag-ing of six packs of beer and Peter Jakubik’s brown paper bag shoe. Both of these ideas are conceptual and not wearable, yet on the next page we will also feature a commercial example of this same principle.

5. recycling

121

Israeli designer Galit Begas’s Foot Prints shoe collection is made of used plastic bags from everywhere; the plastic is draped, pulled and formed over various shoetrees and then un-dergoes a heating process. According to Begas the shoes are wearable, yet we would suggest to add an outsole to make them better suitable for out-door use. With this collection Begas won the prestigious Designboom competition in 2011.

galit begas

With both the price of leather and the need for sustainable products increas-

ing, we find brands turning to new alternatives such as Tyvek, a synthetic

paper that is used for Fedex enve-lopes, for instance. For The Future

(Un)Folds we chose this example by German brand Nat-2, since it not only

uses Tyvek, but the shoes as such are also foldable. These ballerina’s

fold up into a small package that can fit in any handbag. Tyvek is strong enough to wear, since you it won’t

tear unless you cut it with a knife or scissors. Furthermore, it is lightweight,

breathable and water resistant. It can be recycled, yet that does require a

special process.

nat-2

123

With new computer technologies the concept of folding migrates to the digital world: 3D design software allows for new kinds of folding using complex curves and polygons. On the next pages we are showing some more futuristic kinds of folded footwear, which each apply computer technology. Innovative techniques and materials are often combined with traditional ones in order to make the shoes comfortable, yet technological progression will certainly make it possible to eventually produce fully functional shoes in one go, using 3D design software and a 3D printing device.

This design by Marloes ten Bhömer gives a glimpse of what is in store for the future of footwear. Her Rapidprototypedshoe is made using an additive manu-facturing technology in which successive layers of a photopolymer material are UV cured. The shoe is built in one go, but is comprised of two materials, which are organised into different microscopic structures, thereby enabling different material properties. As a result, the shoe has both flexible and rigid sections. The shoe has been designed to be disassembled for the purpose of replacing parts, despite having never been assembled in the first place.

As the price of such advanced 3D printers than can seamlessly merge ma-terials with different densities and properties decreases, we will find more commercial translations suitable for the mass market. Currently 3D printing is mainly used to create prototypes of shoes made trough 3D design, like most of the projects featured on the following pages.

6. folding polygons

125

For his Autumn/Winter 2012 col-lection New York based menswear designer Asher Levine imagines a futurist society characterized by a strong military presence. The world that he conceptualizes provides a fer-tile ground for his imagination to run wild and his designs to take shape.

The futuristic military influence is re-flected in his footwear as well, featur-ing uppers that are partly ‘folded’ from synthetic shells and spikes inspired by body armour. On these pages we feature a few more con-ceptual designs, yet his collection also contains some more wearable varie-ties, applying the synthetic armour to biker boots.

asher levine

127

This “Strike Shoe Concept” is a gradu-ation project for Design Academy Eindhoven made by South-African designer Jean-Pierre Melville back in 2006. Due to his background as an avid runner and his part-time job selling sports performance footwear, he was both experienced in and fascinated by foot biomechanics.

Further analysis of biomechanics ena-bled him to create a form language based around the “initial strike”, which is the first contact the foot makes with the ground while walking or running. By applying penrose tiling he translated the direction of the gait of the foot and the force of the initial strike into a com-plex 2D grid, which is folded around the last, creating the layout of form across the shoe.

Utilising 3D modelling software and shoe making techniques it was possible to create a unity between the human foot and this two dimensional grid.On the functional side this shoe is in-tended for free running; EVA particles of different densities can be clicked into the outsole grid, so all foot type demands can be met within one shoe. As a result this is a shoe that literally has energy frozen within it.

jeanpierre

melville129

For her graduation from Polimoda in Florence, Italy, Span-ish designer Beatriz Espinosa Garcia was inspired by both

architecture and the reflection of light, designing shoes that look like prisms for feet, using complex patterns of

glass-like particles,

All designs are mirrored around a central axis. Her initial ideas were created by hand: cutting, folding and pasting

cardboard polygons, yet these were then reproduced using 3D design software. The program literally reflected her ideas, for instance allowing for a ‘mirrored pump’ that you can slip on from either side. Some of the models are

still prototypes made of thin plywood, yet the stunning mirrored pump is an actual shoe. The production of the

shoes was made possible by Brickell engineering and heel manufacturer Zanzani.

beatrizespinosagarcia

131

Shoe designer Victoria Spruce recently graduated from London’s Royal College of Art with this collection inspired by organic ceramic sculptures which she happened to stumble upon. What attracted her in those were the con-tinuous curves. Sketching on paper wrapped around the foot she wondered why the heel should be separate from the upper and decided to have it interact with that, evolv-ing around the foot. The final shoes combine 3D printing with traditional leather uppers, creating a contrast between the rigid shiny heels and the soft matte leather.

victoriaspruce

133

With his Mojito Shoe, architect Julian Hakes shows how other disciplines can greatly contribute to the design of footwear. When Hakes wanted to explore how new materials and design techniques could provide new solutions for the

evolution of a sandal into a shoe, he took the same approach as when he would design a bridge. He set out to express the forces at play in the most simple, poetic and elegant way possible for the materials used. He came to

the organic lines of the design by drawing on tracing paper taped around his foot, yet he then constructed the actual shoe using a leather laminated carbon fiber core. The idea would not have existed without the ‘old fashioned’ way of designing, yet it would not have been possible to make without the use of in-

novative materials like carbon fiber.

julianhakes

135

Andreas Pijlmanwww.andreaspijlman.nl

Susanna Battistuttowww.naheve.altervista.org

Manami Saitoproefdesigns.com

Roderick Pieterswww.roderickpieters.com

Boris Hoppekwww.borishoppek.de

Andreia Chavezwww.andreiachaves.com

Tea Petrovicteapetrovic.wordpress.com

Marloes ten Bhömermarloestenbhomer.squarespace.com

Anna Korshunannakorshun.com

Winde Rienstrawww.winderienstra.com

Cindy Chenwww.ecuad.ca/people/work/40773

Le Creative Sweatshopwww.lecreativesweatshop.com

Catherine Meuterwww.catherinemeuter.ch

CoupleOfwww.coupleof.co.il

Jessia Jones - Shoe Lovewww.thunderbaybooks.com

Genta Designwww.gentadesign.com

Studio Lowww.studiolodesign.fr

United Nudewww.unitednude.com

Peter Jakubikwww.peter-jakubik.com

Mark O’Brienwww.mark-obrien.co.uk

Galit Begaswww.gbpuredesign.com

Nat-2www.nat-2.eu

Asher Levinewww.asherlevine.com

Jean-Pierre Melvillewww.jpmelville.com

Beatriz Espinosa Garciab.espinosagarcia@gmail.com

Victoria Sprucewww.victoriaspruce.com

Julian Hakeswww.hakes.co.uk

www.slem-waalwijk.blogspot.comslem.waalwijk@gmail.com

index(in order of appearance)

SLEM magazine is made possible by:

Pang Tian’s shoes inspired by foldable chairs, made for Polimoda, Florence, Italy