Shoe Construction
My spring semester of junior year, I decided to take Shoe Construction as my elective. During the semester, we had three main projects. First was to design and construct a pair of sandals, then a set of sneakers, and lastly a heel.
Heel Project
The heel project was one of my favorites, and lasted three weeks. We were asked to design and construct an avant-garde heel using whatever material we desired. I knew I wanted to create a platform heel, and decided to use cork as the base of the heel. I then wrapped the cork in leather and finished the bottom with rubber I had leftover from my sandals. I immediately knew I wanted to make a “punk” studded heel, I had leftover spiked studs from my fall semester projects, and embellished the back platform heel with them. The upper is lasted with the same leather, and meant to reflect a ballet flat mule- hence the bow embellishment. This was one of my favorite projects, and I am proud of how it turned out!
Sneaker Project
For the sneaker project, we were prompted to last using a cup-sole and construct the upper using upcycled materials. I decided to use dark denim from jeans I no longer wear. I decided to create a calf boot sneaker. 100% done by me from pattern, to textile manipulation, to lasting, to embellishing studs and eyelets. This project took up most of the semester.
Sandal Project
The sandal project was the first project we were assigned, to understand the basic construction of a shoe. I created a simple slingback sandal with an asymmetric upper and square toe. I painted the sandals black using leather paint and added a chiffon and beaded embellishment.