Twisted Shoes
September 27th 2009 21:13
London architect Julian Hakes has designed a pair of really bizarre, twisted shoes with no foot plate. Called Mojito, the design consists of a single piece that wraps around the wearer’s foot, forming support for the heel and ball. To me this looks too weird. It would have been nice to see pics of the shoe on a person. Kudos for ingenuity and originality but is this one of those designs that look cool but is totally impractical? But I thought the shoe was odd enough to spark some interest. Peeps - would you wear these?
The product is made of carbon fibre, laminated with rubber on the side that touches the floor and leather on the side next to the skin.
Words from Julian Hakes:
One late summer night in the studio I was thinking about the design of shoes in general.
I wondered why there was the need for a foot plate in shoes such as high heels.
When I look at a foot print on sand it is very clear to see that the main force goes to the heel and ball.
With a high heel providing the heel is supported, even by standing on a wooden block the foot naturally ’spans’ the gap naturally, with bones and tendons.
The foot has its own inbuilt strength and support so why duplicate this. You would not have a jumper with rigid arms between elbow and wrist.
So this raised the question, if the design of a shoe was an evolution of the early sandal and how can new materials and design techniques provide new solution?
So I set to exploring this question in a similar way to how I would design a bridge, examining the forces and looking at the most simple, elegant yet poetic expression of the forces at play within the materials used.
With this approach I then set about wrapping my foot in tracing paper, then binding it up in masking tape and then drawings various geometries onto and over the form of my foot.
The next stage was rather dangerous as I had to cut the shape off my foot with a scalpel and not damage the pattern or my foot.
The design this produced is a single wrapped geometry which starts under the ball of the foot and then over the bridge, then sweeping down below the heel before then twisting back on itself to provide the support for the heel and ankle.
This form felt light and airy on the foot. So we called it the ‘Mojito’ as it was rather like a twist of lime skin.
Original article found on dezeen.com
The product is made of carbon fibre, laminated with rubber on the side that touches the floor and leather on the side next to the skin.
Words from Julian Hakes:
One late summer night in the studio I was thinking about the design of shoes in general.
I wondered why there was the need for a foot plate in shoes such as high heels.
When I look at a foot print on sand it is very clear to see that the main force goes to the heel and ball.
With a high heel providing the heel is supported, even by standing on a wooden block the foot naturally ’spans’ the gap naturally, with bones and tendons.
The foot has its own inbuilt strength and support so why duplicate this. You would not have a jumper with rigid arms between elbow and wrist.
So this raised the question, if the design of a shoe was an evolution of the early sandal and how can new materials and design techniques provide new solution?
So I set to exploring this question in a similar way to how I would design a bridge, examining the forces and looking at the most simple, elegant yet poetic expression of the forces at play within the materials used.
With this approach I then set about wrapping my foot in tracing paper, then binding it up in masking tape and then drawings various geometries onto and over the form of my foot.
The next stage was rather dangerous as I had to cut the shape off my foot with a scalpel and not damage the pattern or my foot.
The design this produced is a single wrapped geometry which starts under the ball of the foot and then over the bridge, then sweeping down below the heel before then twisting back on itself to provide the support for the heel and ankle.
This form felt light and airy on the foot. So we called it the ‘Mojito’ as it was rather like a twist of lime skin.
Original article found on dezeen.com
| 99 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
sorry i goofed on the 20/20 article, but im impressed at how you reposted the exact comment before i even had a chance to explain . . . you are fast like a wildcat haha
Comment by Journeywoman
Great Hair Style Tips
I Dream of Hollywood
Fashion Peach
I'd wear them if they were affordable (they won't be), comfortable (they might be) and attractive (we don't know without seeing them modelled). Definitely an innovative design though, I'm impressed.
Comment by IandMe
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
They are hardly shoes to walk in - possibly just for some A-listers to have photos taken in - or what they call "Red Carpet Shoes" - straight out of the limousine and up the red carpet!
Comment by Tania Crivellenti
Written Life
The Dancing Bug
Aussie Folly
Delirios Australianos
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS PEEOPLE - HAVE A GOOD ONE!!
Comment by Wilson Pon
Health 2 Know
Adventure Toes
Techno Stuffs
boxing sound
Business Rope
Fun Places 2 Travel
Secondly, I'm afraid that the wearers will twist her ankles, if she wearing this stuff under their feet...
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
You maybe right about twisting their ankles but I think the material is very flexible and it maybe more like a high heeled sandal. They can't be any more dangerous than high heels themselves
Comment by 59dragonfly
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Comment by Kristin Wolgemuth
Poetry Lighthouse
What's in a word
Time to Get Up Club