Here Are The World’s Most Extraordinary Shoe Designs, Shared On Virtual Shoe Museum By Liza Snook (30 Pics)
Interview
From killer high heels to Adidas sneakers with teeth dentures as the sole, in a Virtual Shoe Museum run by Liza Snook, you can find all sorts of footwear beyond your imagination.
As Liza shared in an interview with Bored Panda, her journey as a shoe curator and collector started while studying graphic design at the Royal Academy in The Hague in the 1980s. She shared: "I have been collecting almost everything related to shoes. (Wearable) shoes found during traveling completed with books, postcards, articles, and ‘shoevenirs’. "
So without further ado, we invite you to delve into the gallery of the most exciting shoe designs by various designers, and for the full interview with Liza, read down below.
More info: VirtualShoeMuseum.com | Instagram | twitter.com
This post may include affiliate links.
Liza Snook, (shoe) curator, collector & connector based in the Netherlands, continued to share the origin story of Virtual Shoe Museum and her involvement with shoe designers: “To capture and share my passion, I created the website VirtualShoeMuseum.com in 2004 together with my partner and interaction designer Taco Zwaanswijk (Stainless Media). Besides that, I have been working as an image editor for the yearly shoe calendars of Workman Publishers New York since 2008. I also judge at various design schools in the Netherlands and abroad, give lectures, and help young designers to kick-start their careers. From the digital collection, I started to create and organize exhibitions about shoes in art and design, in collaboration with various museums, galleries, and events around the world.”
“VirtualShoeMuseum.com is a digital platform for shoe enthusiasts and professionals, where you can search for shoes by designer, color, type, or material. On the homepage, you will find a shoe of the day, a list of upcoming shoe exhibitions, and a blog. You can find an extensive choice of shoes: wearable shoes, paintings, sculptures, illustrations, or videos. There is a big section of shoes in the 'material' menu where you can find designs made of leather, textile, 3D-printed, jellyfish, glass, sugar, blood, denim, seaweed, and many more.”
"Mixed media sculpture, inspired by Cephalopods, 2015.
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot.
Material: Resin and plastic mixed with powdered corals and pulverized branches.
Photo by Charlotte Visser and Museum Lichtenwalde, model Elisabeth Thorsen."
How would you walk in those? They *look* amazing, but think about actually WEARING them.
These are freaking cool. I hope this guy makes stuff like this for plays.
"Two different coloured leather slip on shoes with metallic silver upper, 2023.
Inspired by ‘Acrylic pour painting’, a painting method created by using acrylic paint to pour on a surface to create a flowing design.
© Kobi Levi Design"
Besides the website, Liza also curates real-life shoe exhibitions. She wrote: “In 2009 I started with a 10 'real' shoes booth at the GDS shoe fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, which expanded in the following years with more shoes and continued in Dongguang, China. In 2013, the exhibition 'Starker Auftritt – Experimental Shoe Design', consisting of 120 experimental shoes, was on show at the Grassi Museum for Applied Arts in Leipzig, Germany. This exhibition was the start of years of worldwide exhibitions: ‘SHOEting Stars’ and ‘Shoes in Senses’ in Austria, ‘Shoe Show’ in Kuwait and UAE, ‘HIGH HEELS’ in Germany, ‘Shoe Magic’ in Hungary, and ‘SHOETOPIA’ in the USA, amongst many others. On the show this year: ‘Shoe Fantasies’ in Pécz, Hungary, and from September participating in ‘Death and the Devil’ in Düsseldorf, Germany.”
"Wooden carved crocs clogs, 2022.
The only, durable non-plastic, crocs Dutch people need!
© Ruben Lekkerkerker."
"Open toe boot. Inspired by IKEA’s iconic large blue FRAKTA shopping bag, 2017.
Materials: recycled shopping bag, the handles are transformed into a graceful bow on the instep.
@ Hideki Sato"
As you have already noticed, most of the designs are not the peak comfort for your feet, and some are just sculptures of shoes, rather than footwear. We asked Liza to share her look on design choices that prioritize aesthetics over practicality. “In our collection, you will find many shoes that prioritize aesthetics over practicality; the category ‘experimental’ is by far the largest. With the developments of the techniques like 3D printing and AI, this will only grow. I find it very interesting when you have to look twice to see if it is a shoe when the shoe shapes don’t follow the foot shape…”
"Part of the graduation collection ‘Psychedelic Dreams’, 4 pairs of shoes, 4th-year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2022.
Marbled leather sandal with transparent gaiter and layered acrylic platform sole.
Photo by Hessel Waalewijn."
"Part of the LCF graduation collection, consisting of six pairs of shoes, 2023.
This collection comes out of Ying’s fear and unease about the loss of physical human contact in public space in this era, leading to a rigidity of self-consciousness. As the development of digital technology and the repeated ravages of the epidemic have exacerbated the disconnection between the body and the physical world, new fields of perception have affected our social systems and habits and have changed the way we perceive the world, which are key elements in the construction of self-identity.
This collection explores the unconscious and unusual interaction between the most obvious objects that have lost their connection in public space – railings or handrails – and the body, experiencing their different mental space sensations. In doing so, it explores new forms of footwear and attempts to evoke human communication and perception with objects in public space and to consider their intimate relationship with each other. And looking for breakthroughs in metal, two-tone leather and 3D printing.
Photograph by Anson Shen."
Finally. Something actually new that really works as a shoe and also is great visually.
Liza shared how she strikes a balance between artistic expression and functional design in the footwear collections she curates: “The range of shoes is very wide. Some approach it from the perspective of construction and expression, others from the study of materials and technique. The multifaceted potential of shoes as a creative medium is reflected not only in the shoes themselves but also in installations, photographs, and videos. I try to show shoes that are unique works of art and shoes that make a statement or have a function like planting seeds, feeding birds, transforming from sneakers to slippers, or are made/re-made from waste materials. From the large database, I can make selections per topic.”
"Leather and needlepoint ankle boot with metal brace and calf cuff, 2021
Photo by Ole Ingar Apalnes."
"Mirror-finish laser-cut boot with Takashi Murakami smiling daisies appliqué, first-year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2019.
Drawing from traditional Japanese painting, sci-fi, anime, and the global art market, Takashi Murakami creates paintings, sculptures, and films populated by repeated motifs and mutating characters of his own creation. His wide-ranging work embodies an intersection of pop culture, history, and fine art.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
We asked Liza to tell us more about a few of the designers that interested her in their approach. She wrote: “It is very hard to pick shoe examples from the Virtual Shoe Museum because every shoe on the website has its own quality, technique, novel material, or story, so I selected a few different shoe projects to highlight. Sometimes you have to look twice and sometimes projects touch you.”
“First one is Joyce de Gruiter (NL). She has been fascinated by high heels since her childhood. As a child, she was enamored with her mother’s Chanel shoes. Joyce knows that life is simply too boring with unwieldy footwear, something that every woman (and man) understands. She transformed women's and men's shoes into a glamourous contemporary statement, a fetish object, a deadly weapon, an architectural tower, and in all the iterations, an object of high artistic expression.”
“Then there is Rémi Vergnanini (B), who is a model, costume designer, and shoemaker based in Belgium. Currently studying at d’ Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas (former SASK) in Belgium.”
"Construction shoe made of recycled plexiglass with leather straps and a quilted rainbow fabric sockshoe, 2020
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
"Part of the London College of Fashion graduation collection ‘Gaint-baby’, 6 pairs of leather shoes with squidgy padded loops, 2023.
Lui: ‘A shoe collection of fashionable footwear. Each pair corresponds to a giant-baby characteristic. Bright colours and decorative lines, my design language to break up the black and white of the adult world. I hope that I can amplify the cuteness of childishness through my designs and help adults to enjoy the positive side of children’s culture.
I am an only-child under China’s one-child policy. Most of my peers, like me, are also only-children. The whole family dotes on a child, and the over-protection leads to the immaturity of many only-children’s minds in adulthood. If possible, I would like to call us ‘gaint-baby’. What is gain-baby? Literally, gain-baby refers to a huge baby. But in fact it refers to adults who are mentally stuck in the child stage.
As a group of people who don’t want to grow up, gaint-baby’s have their own new outlook on life. They are unwilling to force themselves to be mature and follow the mainstream. They are eager to return to the world of children, enjoy fantasy and try to have fun in life.’
© Lyujie Liu."
“The third one is Jo Cope (UK), a female artist and conceptual craftswoman who has been pushing the formal boundaries of fashion for almost two decades. Jo’s interest is in creating a new role for fashion, creating socially active and highly crafted vessels, that can exist and communicate both on and off the body.”
“And last but not least: Shanshan Yang (China), who graduated in footwear design from the London College of Fashion in 2023.”
"Large swirling motif leather two-colored pumps with a dainty heel, made to order, 2021.
A series of imaging extended antennas to spread one’s personality from the toes of the shoe.
Available in three two-color variations.
© VERO TWIQO"
"Haverman creates shoes out of curiosity and her only starting point is that the shoe should be wearable, 2022.
Every step in the creative process is a choice for Joseline in what is possible. This design is an extreme expression of that process. Designed at the René van den Berg Academy, The Netherlands.
Material: leather and wood.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
Liza shared her hopes on what she would like for people to take away from this collection of shoes. “I hope to share my passion for shoes in art and design and to promote the work of so many talents in various fields of art and design. So be amazed by the wide variety of shoes that make you wonder, think, and smile.”
And lastly, she added: “The start of this platform has brought me so much new inspiration, friendships, amazing adventures, and opportunities… shoe people are nice people.”
"Part of the graduation collection ‘SHOETRIBE’, 5 pairs of shoes, 4th-year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2020.
This collection is based on ethnic masks from different population groups from all over the world. The masks are interpreted in a graphical way, based on a striped pattern inspired by optical black-and-white illusions.
The 5 shoe pairs are based on 3 different lasts: pointed – squared – round. These shapes enhance the expression and graphics of the design. The graphic forms overflow into the heel. The sleek architectural heel is a basic part in the collection, with different layers of EVA, (un)coated, or inlaid with pearls. The color palette and the contrasting of (bright) areas of color are inspired by the paintings of Joan Miró.
Material: patent leather (inlay marquetry technique), EVA and pearls.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
"Project by Tran Ngoc Yen for the Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Shoe Design Studio, 2017.
Material: leather, wood and a red apple.
Snow White is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms’ Fairy Tales. The name Sneewittchen was Low German and in the first version it was translated with Schneeweißchen. The Grimms completed their final revision of the story in 1854. The fairy tale features such elements as the magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the glass coffin, and the characters of the evil queen and the Seven Dwarfs.
© Tomas Bata University ZlÌn, photo Barbara Zaťková."
"Unique work, wearable shoes and mixed media, 2023.
Part of the collection Pink! Punk! Pop! Only the color is suitable for Barbie and Ken. The rest of the cake is for the dare-devils. But I strongly advise: only Look and do not Touch!
One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small.
And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all.
Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall.
Soundtrack: White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane.
Photo by Bas Duijs."
"Unique handmade shoes, 2015.
Material: wood, leather, and metal.
© Into Into"
"Crackle patent sandal with yolk colour details and chrome casted ‘Egg Cup’ wedge, part of the LCF graduation collection ‘Evolution to Absurdity’, 2023.
The only thing that seems to make sense these days is an overarching lack of sense: an absurd form of sense.
Photo by Daniel Charkow."
"Part of the collection ‘Nomads, 4 pairs of shoes, 3rd year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2022.
High-shaft decorated fabric elevated platforms with decorated leg garters and a metal pendulum at the heel.
A collection inspired by Mongolian traditional ethnic embroidered garments.
Photo by Hessel Waalewijn."
"Hand-painted boots, 2015.
Material: vegetable tanned leather, leather and pressed board mid-sole, cheesecloth, steel, hand-shaped wood platforms, nails, natural glue and zippers.
© Chris Francis, photo by Noel Bass"
"Part of the graduation collection ‘SPLIT’, 5 pairs of shoes, 4th year SASK Shoe Design, 2020.
A collection that a resemblances my duality, my inner and outer life. On one hand rebellious and on the other hand a girly-girly who secretly hopes to live in pink Barbie’s dream home one day. This is visible in the shapes of the heel, which has both hard and soft lines.
Material: lace, satin fabric, glitter and casted heel.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
"This footwear is a commentary on the position of women and girls in our contemporary society, 2023.
It is a sad truth that in recent years the progress of women’s equality has slowed down, and in multiple countries even regressed. This work addresses the idea of the confinement of one gender. Aiming to keep them ‘in their place’ and subsequently out of power. The design reflects that feeling of control. From the pristine, curvy back to the elongated nose, which is a nod to the straitjacket, it hints to restraining and pacifying women. The laces, asymmetrically tied, add a feeling of insanity.
Photo by Shay Ben-Efraim."
"Leather toe-knob sandals with embroidered terry cloth straps and a foam sphere heel, 2022.
Part of the collection ‘Rox, you’re on mute!’, 3 pairs of shoes, 2nd year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium.
Inspired by working from home due to Covid. Lieckens: ‘When I choose a theme, I usually end up with something from my living environment. This theme represents something that we have all had to deal with, rather involuntarily, to work from home. To visualise this I combined elements that represent domestic objects with one that represents something businesslike. And I used contrasts. Working from home is actually a contradiction in terms, so I combined hard and soft materials, glossy and matte, white and blue. Bathrobe/computer, headphone/comforter, tea cup/tea bag.’
Photo Hessel Waalewijn."
"This collection comes out of Ying’s fear and unease about the loss of physical human contact in public space in this era, leading to a rigidity of self-consciousness. As the development of digital technology and the repeated ravages of the epidemic have exacerbated the disconnection between the body and the physical world, new fields of perception have affected our social systems and habits and have changed the way we perceive the world, which are key elements in the construction of self-identity.
This collection explores the unconscious and unusual interaction between the most obvious objects that have lost their connection in public space – railings or handrails – and the body, experiencing their different mental space sensations. In doing so, it explores new forms of footwear and attempts to evoke human communication and perception with objects in public space and to consider their intimate relationship with each other. And looking for breakthroughs in metal, two-tone leather and 3D printing.
Photograph by Anson Shen."
"Collection, 2015.
Material: metal and vegetable-tanned Italian leather.
© WXY Brand"
"The first sculpture of my ‘OH. MY. EVOLUTION’ collection, 2017.
This shoe-inspired collection is based upon shoe designs I have made over the past 25 years.
Material: carbon fiber and PU hard foam with a medial side that resembles the foot while the lateral side has no relation to a shoe at all.
Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. The term was promulgated in 1967 by Edward de Bono.
© René van den Berg"
"Gold leather balanced boat-shaped platform mules, part of the ‘Muscle Memory’ collection, 2012-2013.
Memories are written throughout our bodies. Inscribed on bones, stretched through tendons, embedded in muscle, our pasts are present in every movement we make. Having lost major portions of my long term memory, and struggling with a newly limited short term memory due to injuries in a car accident, the ‘Muscle Memory’ collection explores how experience and emotion can be recalled through physical sensation and movement.
© Amara Hark-Weber."
"Derby shoe with a soft, smooth pillow contrasting with a hard, rigid, and massive heel, 2022.
Inspired by Louis XIV, particularly portraits of him presenting his pomp and pageantry of his person and consequently of the entire Baroque period ‘L’État, c’est moi’.
Material: Brocade upper with a welded tongue and the cushion replacing the sole, the back parts are made of smooth kid-skin. The beech heel is covered with leather.
© Amálie Magdaléna Mlčochová."
"Part of the graduation collection ‘K[ar]intsugi’, 4 pairs of shoes, 4th-year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2022.
Layered flower embroidered voile fabric on patent leather geta-style platform mules.
‘K[ar]intsugi’ is an interconnection of my name Karin with the Japanese word Kintsugi. Hana is Japanese for flower.
Photo by Hessel Waalewijn."
"Veg-tanned leather split toe heel-less wedge mule with a wooden platform sole, 2019.
Photo by Bezalel Academy of Art & Design."
"Wet molded leather clog, made at the veg tan leather course by Eliora Lemmer Ginsburg, 2019.
Materials: veg tan leather and Aniline dye.
Photo by Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design."
Photo by Charlotte Visser.
"Part of ‘Structures’ collection S/S 2010
Albu: ‘I am creating a constructed chaos’, a former architect, blends math, architecture and art in his creations, which are more foot sculpture than regular footwear.
This shoe has a 31 centimeter heel sandal and it is a construction of three black wedge sandals. It blends high-tech architecture with design and only comes in small sizes. Obtained the World Records Academy’s title ‘the tallest sandal in the world’ for 31 cm (14.5 inch).
© Mihai Albu, photo Valentin Calinescu."
"Part of the LCF graduation collection, consisting of six pairs of shoes, 2023. This collection comes out of Ying’s fear and unease about the loss of physical human contact in public space in this era, leading to a rigidity of self-consciousness. As the development of digital technology and the repeated ravages of the epidemic have exacerbated the disconnection between the body and the physical world, new fields of perception have affected our social systems and habits and have changed the way we perceive the world, which are key elements in the construction of self-identity.
This collection explores the unconscious and unusual interaction between the most obvious objects that have lost their connection in public space – railings or handrails – and the body, experiencing their different mental space sensations. In doing so, it explores new forms of footwear and attempts to evoke human communication and perception with objects in public space and to consider their intimate relationship with each other. And looking for breakthroughs in metal, two-tone leather and 3D printing.
Photograph by Anson Shen."
"Fantasy shoes Shibori collection, 2012.
Shibori is a Japanese dye technique for 2-3 dimensional textures.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
"Sculpture, part of a series of shoes inspired by painting by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte.
Material: mixed media, 1995
Size: 12 x 8 x 40 inch
© Martin & Muñoz"
"Part of the collection ‘Nomads, 4 pairs of shoes, 3rd year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2022.
High-shaft cut out boots with decorated patent leather patchwork and a silver patterned elevated platform.
A collection inspired by Mongolian traditional silver patterned plates and ethnic embroidered garments.
Photo by Hessel Waalewijn."
"Handmade leather men shoes, 2017.
Inspired by Dutch painter and theoretician Piet Mondriaan who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is known for being one of the pioneers of 20th century abstract art, as he changed his artistic direction from figurative painting to an increasingly abstract style, until he reached a point where his artistic vocabulary was reduced to simple geometric elements.
Material: leather.
© Ike van der Plas"
Mondrian's most famous paintings, which are referenced here, were abstractions of the Dutch countryside. The black lines represented roads and the color rectangles the plots of land. It was about abstracting the familiar to the point when it became something else.This is just about ripping off Mondrian's recognizable colors and shapes without interacting at all with the substance of the "inspiration".
"Unique sculpture. Turning Point symbolizes the foot and shoe as directors of destiny, 2022.
The typography, created on a traditional foil embossing press, replaces the usual brand identity of the shoe with text which represents the potential life-changing choices of the wearer. Jo is interested in encouraging a deeper look at the power hidden in our feet and their potential to impact positive thoughts and actions.
Materials: recycled shoe parts, leather and gold block foil.
Photo by Nigel Essex."
"‘Flattern’ is composed of the words ‘flat’ and ‘pattern’, 2019.
Inspired by Synesthesia, a figure of speech in which a combination of the impressions of different senses is used in expressions. For instance, the letter ‘A’ is likely to be associated with red.
Material: carbon fiber.
Produced in co-operation with Erik Hondebrink/Podo Tools.
© René van den Berg."
"Boasting spiky blue outsoles, these sneakers become vessels for plants and seeds to get hooked on when people walk or run, allowing them to spread across cities, 2023.
Promoting positive participation in the ecology of the urban environment through the redesign of footwear. The increase in urban developments has contributed to the extensive fragmentation and reduction of natural habitats. Urbanisation has a range of adverse effects on ecosystem functioning, including the disruption of plant dispersal processes across the landscape.
Urban rewilding seeks to equip cities and towns to support wildlife and cater to diverse ecosystems within urban constraints. The city is an entirely man-made construct and demands intuitive thinking to integrate natural spaces within it.
Therefore a vital part of urban rewilding is the human component of the process. Footwear is our connection to the ground and our environment. Inspired by animal hooves and fur, this project proposes that our outsoles could promote biodiversity and further cultivate ecosystems, by mimicking the behaviour of ‘keystone species’. With this project, we democratise Urban Rewilding, allowing city dwellers to engage in the ecological growth of the local environment.
Experts and Collaborators: Lewis Rees, Run The Boroughs x New Balance | Generation.works
Riccardo Cook, Footwear Designer, Pronoia StudioMatthew Overlan, Cognitive Researcher, DeepMind
Barbara Smith, Lecturer in Ecology, MA Regenerative Design, CSM.
© Kiki Grammatopoulos, photo by Tom Mannion."
"Laser cut pattern boots inspired by Makoto Azuma, a Japanese flower artist, botanical sculptor and co-founder of Jardins des Fleurs, designed at d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas (former SASK) Belgium, 2019.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
"Part of the collection ‘Flowers of Fading Memory’, where Kushino sublimates ‘shoes’ into sculptural artworks, skillfully incorporating tradition and modern technique, 2022.
Like the life of a flower, we bloom and wither, then sprout anew. Kushino compares our life as a flower and shoe as a vase and finds beauty in its ephemeral trajectory. The series of works in this exhibition is an anthem for each footstep and celebrates our living life with fading memories.
© Masaya Kushino"
"Shoe with pling pling harp sounds made of chairlegs and embroidered vintage tablecloth, part of the music shoes collection, 2022.
Photo by Mats Linder."
"Upcycled leather boot with foldable textile tulip petals, 2022.
Sara Kovacs made by Anna Melegh."
"Adidas Superstar sneakers, sculpture, 2015
Apex predators are predators with no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain.
Materials: Adidas sneakers, teeth dentures.
© Fantich & Young"
"Part of the ‘Oscillation’ collection, spring/summer 2022.
Handmade golden leather sculptural footwear, worn by Beyoncé for Tiffany & Co. in the clip ‘LOSE YOURSELF IN LOVE’.
Photo by Carolin Holzhuber, photo Beyoncé © Tiffany & Co."
"Ballet pointe shoes covered by sweat-made crystals, 2018.
Sweat is a collection developed during the MA in Fashion at Royal College of Art. Looking at the a multidisciplinary approach combing Fashion, Body and Science. Developing future biomaterials and looking at how we can create our own accessories through our secretions. Sweat creates and captures an emotion beyond an ordinary experience. Showing the beauty of how our bodies respond to our current environment, Yet also captures a single moment from different points in individuals lives. We all secret every day but never stop to think about the importance of this bodily response or what it could be.
Sweat covers us in similar ways to clothing and shoes, like a second skin, but the most beautiful about it is that it removes global and political labeling. Everyone sweat is unique and so is each human being, no one is exactly the same and shouldn’t be judged by globalized external factors but who they are internally.
© Alice Potts"
"Chunky sneaker model, combining a button boot to a classic city, 1st year assignment or d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas (former SASK) in Belgium, 2023.
Material: vintage leather, buckles, plastic bags, lace, straps, paint and metal studs.
Photo by Hessel Waalewijn."
"Wooden high platform leather sandal clogs inspired by Chopines, part of the ‘Tall shoes’ collection, 2018.
Chopines were originally used as a clog or overshoe to protect the shoes and dress from mud and street soil, popular in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries.
© Amara Hark-Weber."
I never understood how women didn't twist their ankles wearing chopines
"Futuristic sneaker and overshoe, combining blades and various bindings, 2023.
Part of the graduation collection for @artezuniversityofthearts, based on the idea that innovation is formed in the absence of rules and restrictions. Suspended from the conventions of what a sneaker needs to be while maintaining its essence. An idea hand-crafted from passion for footwear, car culture, and science fiction.
Giordano: ‘Innovation is formed in the absence of rules and restrictions. What if a shoe could take on this role? It could become a way of repositioning how we think of our physical abilities, footwear expectations, as well as a tool for self-expression, suspended from the conventions of what a sneaker needs to be while maintaining its essence.’
© Gabriel Giordano."
"Part of the ‘Blue days for being a girl’ collection. Handmade double boots, designed by Silvia Rognoni, crafted by Luc Aarts, 2020.
Photo Luc Aarts."
"Teal knee high boots encrusted with used shoe making nails which have been collected over the past 8 years. Each pair of boots contains 6790 old tacks that are individually attached, part of the LCF graduation collection ‘Evolution to Absurdity’, 2023.
The only thing that seems to make sense these days is an overarching lack of sense: an absurd form of sense.
Photo by Daniel Charkow."
"Unique piece, 2020.
Material: Wire and denim threads
Dimensions in cm: w 15 x h 40 x d 30 cm
Part of the exhibition ‘Denim – stylish, practical, timeless’ at the SpielzeugWeltenMuseum in Basel from October 2020 – April 2021.
Photo by Juan Pablo Berman."
"Suede imbalanced wedged ankle boots, part of the ‘Muscle Memory’ collection, 2012-2013.
Memories are written throughout our bodies. Inscribed on bones, stretched through tendons, embedded in muscle, our pasts are present in every movement we make. Having lost major portions of my long term memory, and struggling with a newly limited short term memory due to injuries in a car accident, the ‘Muscle Memory’ collection explores how experience and emotion can be recalled through physical sensation and movement.
© Amara Hark-Weber."
"AI-generated design created with Midjourney at the Footwearology Lab in Barcelona, 2023.
Park: ‘I asked Midjourney to create a shoe that looks like a teapot and it designed three teapots and one shoe, then I took this shape of the shoe to develop further visually until I found the shape that I liked and looked feasible. In the end the result quite reminded me of Mellisa footwear.
© Sarah Inyoung Park."
"Heelless fabric gradient dyed boots in a molded tea cup shaped mule, 2022.
Part of the collection ‘Rox, you’re on mute!’, 3 pairs of shoes, 2nd year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium.
Inspired by working from home due to Covid. Lieckens: ‘When I choose a theme, I usually end up with something from my living environment. This theme represents something that we have all had to deal with, rather involuntarily, to work from home. To visualize this I combined elements that represent domestic objects with one that represents something businesslike. And I used contrasts. Working from home is actually a contradiction in terms, so I combined hard and soft materials, glossy and matte, white and blue. Bathrobe/computer, headphone/comforter, tea cup/tea bag.’
Photo Hessel Waalewijn."
I think I just broke my ankles looking at these... And looking at the rest of them...
"First-year assignment 2010, recycling material study which resulted in a very creative use of material: stone, rope and leather, for the Academy of Fine Arts in Sint-Niklaas Belgium (SASK).
Inspired by David Lynch.
© Caroline Verbrugghe, photo Patrick Creemers."
"Shoes Have Names by Jo Cope x Boutique By Shelter, 2020.
Jo Cope and Shelter come together at Boutique by Shelter in a truly unique collaboration at Coal Drops Yard, for London Craft Week, on show from 30 September to 8 October 2020.
Every shoe tells a story
Each shoe or pair of shoes created by the designers will be named after the person who’s been supported by Shelter. The designers have been asked to create a unique design reflecting the stories of the individuals using the materials they are most comfortable using from their current design specialisms.
Shoes traditionally have names to positively identify their individual styles. To own or put on a special pair of shoes is also symbolic of ‘Having somewhere to go’, while shoes also offer practical protection comfort as should the home. In contrast, people facing homelessness can lose a sense of personal identity and safety."
"Part of the project ‘Skin Sale’ considers fashion's similarity to the skin as superficial shelter and color psychology and its relationships to perceptions of value and worth.
Adjoa Essel – Black British / Legs number 1
Aiyaaz Khan – Asian/Italian / Legs number 2
Kian Richards – White British / Legs number 3
© Jo Cope Symbolic Footwear Artefact / October 2019 Blackhistorymonth"
"Hand crimped calf leather boot with resin casted AI generated heel, part of the LCF graduation collection ‘Evolution to Absurdity’, 2023.
The only thing that seems to make sense these days is an overarching lack of sense: an absurd form of sense. ‘His concepts are prisons devoid of reason’, Robert Smithson on Sol LeWitt.
Photo by Daniel Charkow."
"Sculptural heels, part of the collection ‘Hogo’, 4 pairs of shoes, 3rd year SASK, d’Academie Beeld Sint-Niklaas in Belgium, 2020.
Material: resin, wood, leather and horsehair.
Photo by Charlotte Visser."
"Mixed media sculpture, 2017.
Part of Jan Jansen Shoe Treasures, Jan Jansen original shoes 1990s.
Pilon’s sculptures often evoke contradictory emotions. Some feature humanoid figures bound together and lacking features and limbs. Others depict forms wrapped in a blanket where only wings, antlers or hooves are visible. Her artwork handles power and impotence, truth and falsehood, fantasy and reality, real and unreal.
Material: vintage shoes and horse hair.
Dimensions 18 x 90 x 15 cm
© Jan Jansen Shoe Treasures, photo by Charlotte Visser."
"Unique sculpture, part of the series ‘Mutant’, 2020.
The project ‘Mutant’ aims to fulfil, explain and show his desires and dreams that have met obstructions, due to societal expectations of his gender.
Growing up in Korea, Dae always felt as if he was a mutant, an aberration from the heterosexual norm. He decided to turn shame into pride, by making mutants that proudly display his hitherto secret desires. As a man, he has always felt he is inferior in terms of beautification. So when he designing these mutant objects, he represents himself with objects that are usually considered uninteresting and inferior and mutate them into ones that are grandiose and superior.
‘Mutant’ consists of three objects (and videos) based on his three desires. Each object tells the story of its desire. Objects are mutants that are created based on those desires.
Photo by Pierre Castignola."
"Part of the LCF graduation collection, six pairs casted concrete shoes, 2023.
‘Spaces of Corners’ started from the personal feeling of being in the corner space. When myself staying in a corner, the corner space constructed in my imagination is an imagination triggered by my body consciousness experiencing the existence of the space.
In the terms of the corner space is usually understood as a compact mass of space that exists. Through an investigation into philosophy and psychology, for the group of people who prefer to stay in the corner, the corner space is a natural refuge, a ‘sanctuary’ that provides them with psychological stability. And stability is what makes the corner space so special – seclusion, confinement, security.
In contemporary dialogue, the project deal with a sense of detachment and distance between people and their surrounding environment or space- which lead us create our own ‘corners’. It is for that reason that exploring corner space and aims to built environment in a conceptual way to create six footwear artefacts to give a new psychological experience and a new special understanding to people.
Each object is functional in a different position of interaction with the corner space to give the wearer a different physical and psychological experience of being in the corner.
© Shanshan Yang."
"Footwear installation, mixed media, 2023.
The voice of a loner is not heard. The chorus of voices sounds brighter and louder. Shoes have become the metaphysical and semantic base of Rustam Adyukov’s art objects since he had to flee his country due to the war.
Comitatus means accompanying. Lots of creative people today are stunned, forced to shut up by the aggressor. Every voice is an action aimed at fighting, confrontation, and comprehension of what is happening. This installation is a step towards peace and democracy. Uniting individual artists within the framework of a common, anti-war project creates a new creative community, that talks about the world in the language of art.
Adyukov: ‘This installation became the artist’s reflection on the tragedy of modernity, which is reflected in each of us. At the heart of the composition is a frame shoe structure, the base that connects a person to the earth. The design is pierced with a thin weave of blood-red threads, symbolizing the severity and consequences of the steps taken. Stagnation, apathy the Achilles heel of our time, tendon rupture, preventing movement forward. Society steps on the same rake: passions, emotions, and instincts take precedence over reason – this is our weak point – the ‘Achilles heel’ of our time. A tragedy that affects millions and caused catastrophic events of the last year. In the familiar world, hopes are blown up. Impersonal human masses become a burden of the past, which does not allow the next step.’"
Some of the shoes in this article are very creative, some are true works of art, but then we come across total disasters like this pair. There is not one appealing or interesting thing about these. Tacky.
i guess most were just art instead of meant to wear but it was interesting :-)
I want to see some actually on. Not standing if they'll cause a broken ankle. But maybe sitting on a sofa.
Load More Replies...
There may be the beginning of the concept of the whole movie scenery in one shoe like that. And it may be very interesting to do so. Thanks for inspiration!
Sculptures (even in shoe form) are meant to inspire feelings. These are just ugly, dangerous & uncomfortable, so I guess they inspire repulsion?
I would add these to this list. They aren't practical nor attractive imo but certainly...unique. https://www.vogue.com/article/fecal-matter-releases-photoshopped-skin-heels-for-real-life 0_You-can-...2ba4a8.jpg 
I think they're meant to be art pieces rather than functional or wearable footwear, but yes.
Load More Replies...
I actually like these posts cuz they massively make me Snicker inside because some of them are so stupid. Now that one that looks like a funky Oxford that one is actually really cool I couldn't wear it but I could see people that could
i guess most were just art instead of meant to wear but it was interesting :-)
I want to see some actually on. Not standing if they'll cause a broken ankle. But maybe sitting on a sofa.
Load More Replies... There may be the beginning of the concept of the whole movie scenery in one shoe like that. And it may be very interesting to do so. Thanks for inspiration!
Sculptures (even in shoe form) are meant to inspire feelings. These are just ugly, dangerous & uncomfortable, so I guess they inspire repulsion?
I would add these to this list. They aren't practical nor attractive imo but certainly...unique. https://www.vogue.com/article/fecal-matter-releases-photoshopped-skin-heels-for-real-life 0_You-can-...2ba4a8.jpg
I think they're meant to be art pieces rather than functional or wearable footwear, but yes.
Load More Replies... I actually like these posts cuz they massively make me Snicker inside because some of them are so stupid. Now that one that looks like a funky Oxford that one is actually really cool I couldn't wear it but I could see people that could
