Emerging Fervour

My other obsession which got fed at the LFW are shoes!! My oh my what lovely pairs walked around, here are a few of my favourites:

Last week, I wrote about Tetsuya Uenobe and his amazing footwear…this week I have something even better…words from Tetsuya himself. Check out his interview below.

Tetsuya, I adore your work and it’s obvious passion is your drive. But do you find it difficult breaking into the mainstream fashion market with such unusual creations?

Yes I understand that. My artline is like a performance to show my ability and passion. I hope people like my other lines on my website. At the beginning, I just made shoes that were only slightly ‘arty’, which I exhibited at a few trade shows; however this left very little interest from buyers. There were probably two main reasons for this, cost, and of course nothing was particularly eye-catching. This is the reason why I have changed my train of though and instead, decided that making people smile and ignoring budget issues would be the way forward. And besides, If I did not have my artline, you would not be interested in my works!?

Hmmm, you have a point there…So we know that you worked with Hanae Mori, that must have been a dream come true for you, what did you learn from your time spent with her?

She was an organiser for the exhibitions you mentioned in your previous post (the Open Gallery and the Art Tower Mito). She managed whole concepts and checked the themes and quality of the work on display. I had an interview with her once and the opportunity to have a chat each time during both exhibitions. She was always curious about the work going up. I took a lot from the talks we had; she asked me in the interview if I read newspaper – I think this means I have to be open minded and not just look straight ahead, but all around. She also advised me that I should hire at least 3 employees within 5 years. I took from that, that I should increase my brand awareness and grow it into a respected and stable label.

The first time I checked out Tetsuya’s work, I was a little lost for words. I mean, it’s not every day that you see something like this from a footwear designer…

Or how about these?

Tetsuya Uenobe studied shoe design at the London College of Fashion after moving from Japan. After this little stint in London, Tetsuya moved back to Japan to set up his label ‘UENOBE’ in 2003, where he’s become a household name for his out-there creations.

You may think that these creations are more like pieces of art than ready-to-wear…and you’d be right because Tetsuya has exhibited his collection at the Open Gallery at Omotesando, Tokyo and contemporary art museum, Art Tower Mito – both of these exhibitions were recommendations by Hanae Mori, Japans most prominent and respected fashion designers AND the only female Japanese designer to have presented her collections on the London and Paris runways.

Clementine Baxter obtained a first-class degree from Cordwainers, part of London College of Fashion, having begun this brand as part of her degree work. She created her label, Clementine Shoes based on inspiration from the art world, with particular reference to sculpture and architecture.  The bold shapes and constrasting colours really make these pieces stand out.

Her work is a labour of love…the shoes are made with so much dedication and passion, with hours and hours being spent on hundreds of 2D and 3D sketches, until the hundreds of sketches are wittled down to the final few that make it into her collection.

I go on about how much I love detail…anything that is made with an ounce of passion is such a pull for me, in fact I think detail is key to style – but that’s another story. Clementine is no exception, no detail is ever an after-thought and each design detail is constructed after so much thought. Work begins with hundreds of sketches in both 2D and 3D before ruthlessly discarding and reworking until finally the collection emerges. Being part Italian, style is in her blood, and only the finest quality Italian leather is used; all these factors definitely justify the price tag.

For all you die-hard East Londoners…the shoes are all hand-made in your part of town so support your local craftsmen and shop this fabulous designer!

For sales enquiries then contact sales@clementineshoes.com and for any general enquiries contact info@clementineshoes.com.

www.clementineshoes.com

Shoes 75% off? Some costing only £5? You’d think only the ones that no one wants are available but ohhh no, check these out. We think they are fabulous and can’t quite believe you can get your hands on them at such a low price.

Black lizzard peep toe £15 (was £85)

Irregular Choice Shimmy court shoe £35 (was £85), they are just fabulous! If green is not in colour, they are also available in black for a bit more £42.50

Flora Pom Pom platform £15 (was £60) – a classic which will never tire

Mahiki platform ankle boots £30 (was £90) – my personal favourite but then I’m a sucker for that colour

Cyril side stitch knee boots in taupe – the colour that goes with everything £30(was £110)

Tip Top pump £10 (was £40), also available in black but how pretty are those colours?

Cauliflower flats £5 (was £35) – stock up on a basic!!

How you can walk in them, we don’t know but they certainly are showstoppers!!

The Fast Company have put piece up about 13 amazing high-concept shoes which include cutting edge material and techniques which we just had to pass on.

They are amazing and although undoubtedly not very comfortable, I’d love some in a show case!!

Andreia Chaves’ Invisible Shoe, invisible as it will blend in with the environment and so handy when you need a mirror.

Andreia Chaves’ Form & Texture Shoe, I can’t stop thinking Jenga

Marloes ten Bhömer shoe is made of leather and carbon fibre, the individual pieces were formed individually and then assembled to create a fractured collage, they actually look wearable.

And who could forget Alexander McQueen’s crazy creations for his Spring 10 collection?

Check out the rest of them at Fast Company site.

We’ve also found a few more, make up your own mind if they are wearable or not…

Make the most of 20% off everything and if you still need your party shoes, there is an amazing 25% off.

Code for 20% off: AMAZINGB

Code for 25% off party shoes & bags: PARTYB

Valid until 13th December 2009 and you can use them together.

And there is even free delivery on order over £50

Code: MOV5B

Website: www.barratts.co.uk

We’ve been told about some amazing sales, perfect for a bit of early Christmas shopping… for myself!!

The ones with the cut out and fold-over clothing? Try this digital version for size…

Looklet allows you to create looks out of clothes, shoes and accessories picked by stylists. There are inspiration pages and an area to submit the looks you create. The team are keeping on top of everything from new designers to vintage pieces.

The site doesn’t allow you to buy but it does label every item with the designer and unlike those cardboard cut-outs, you can view the back of the outfit too.

We look forward to seeing the wardrobe grow. Good luck Looklet!

1^st November was ‘World Vegan Day’ and what better way to celebrate than with buying shoes!! And if we think Vegan shoes, no other than ‘Beyond Skin’ comes to mind.

If you associate Vegan shoes with brown or earthy coloured sandals you couldn’t be further away from it. ‘Beyond Skin’s AW09 collection is not only beautiful but amazingly wearable as heel types (my favourite cone heel is of course available too) and heights are perfect to be worn all day.

Opal £140

Debut £162

Flint £159

Hendrix £172

Serpent £159