Designer: Pavla Podsednikova Location: Prague, Czech Republic Category: Soft Goods / Apparel Award: Student Notable

SShoe

In this project I have been working on new possibilities of shoe construction. This shell form is shaped of vegetable tanned leather and strenghtened by thermoplastic inner lining. The shoes hold on the feet and still can be easily put on.

During the process I consulted with 2 traditional shoe makers who helped me with the tightening and forming of leather. Than the thermoplastic material was vacuum-formed and the final form was made by hot steam right away on real feet. All the layers were glued and pressed together so it makes sort of crust which can be a little flexible so you can put the shoe on the feet but stiff enough to hold the feet when walking or running.

Core77: What's the latest news or development with your project?

I'm trying to find bugs (read: polish things up a little) and finish next prototype for some customers of mine. At the same time I'm trying to continue further with this idea—right now I'm developing new collection in collaboration with some really interesting people.

What is one quick anecdote about your project?

I have learned a lot about leather and its characteristics but one day I found an unsolvable problem which stopped my work for more than a week. As I was growing a little bit desparate, suddenly one guy came to our studio out of nowhere and we started to chat. After a while I've learned that this guy is actually pretty famous czech shoemaker, so I have asked him for help. He just poited out one small piece on the huge cow leather, which would fix my problem. I've tried that and of course this really small piece of the whole cow worked as a charm. He was just passing by the studio - what a fortunate street he chose!

Read on for full details on the project and jury comments.