Are These Straw Shoes Made For Walking?
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03.25.08
Ok, these shoes may not be as stylish or elegant as those from the Danish label PJUX that we featured last week, but we love thought provoking concepts and experiments with materials just as much as anything practical or functional. Moco Loco recently highlighted the work of French designer Tete Knecht, whose work they saw at IMM Cologne.
Taking note of her creations made from a blend of straw and latex their rather pertinent question to Ms. Knecht was "Is this material viable for footwear and other accessories?" You can view the designer's Pouf de Paille seating and her answer below.
"These are prototypes, or artists’ proofs. But, as any new idea, the mix must be developed; the objective is to have a second generation a way to transform it in an industrial one. In our imagination, straw is associated with nature. It also evokes collective memories and sensations: it’s soft, comfortable, hot. Since prehistory, it was used inside shoes, for warmth, and it was used for mattress. Mixed with latex – a natural resin, I can mold, and bring the straw from inside to the surface. And it becomes also the structure of the object."
If Camper and Po-Zu can use grass for their inner soles, surely the next step is straw shoes, although perhaps a little more refined that these prototypes - we hope! Watch this space...
:: Tete Knecht
Via: Moco Loco
i'm sorry, but. . . these both look like . . . like some straw-eating animal's poo. especially the seat. yuk.
As long as they don't fall apart, then fantastic. Looks like modernism to me. Simple but beautiful -- and high-tech.