Gradex bits

I'm also in the process of finalising all work for my portfolio for the show (which all students have had to totally reformat into a muji folder so everyone looks the same after spending loads of effort and money on unique branding and folios..?!) and also for the gradex showtime and new designers websites. I've decided to make a digital sketchbook so have been exploring issue.com, a site which lets you upload work and create digital publishing - exciting! So I've been trawling through my design development for this project to decide what to put in...

time to evolve

The past two weeks have been busy and also a bit disheartening as I've been trying to model shoe parts in a CAD programme and come up with all kinds of unforseen problems. My project is based around me designing my own shoe construction process which will allow me to create a product which is more ecologically sound, yet still an avante-guard and luxury product. I see this as the foundation of what will one day hopefully be my brand, and what will define me in the marketplace. For the initial concept collection I have four silhouettes in my range; a wedge, a heel and platform, a brogue and a trainer. Possibly a mid height in there later if I have time. But I essentially have to design a new construction process for each silhouette. This ultimately means I have to design and make my own components for each construction. Which is a lot tricker and more time-consuming than I thought. And I'm now running out of time. I'm currently trying to work out a new approach for creating them and a plan b so that I at least have prototypes for my degree.

through the oven door..

Here's a wee snippet from some sketchbook pages of what's inspiring me at present and hopefully a bit of a feel for my style..

concept on a plate

Following an inspirational talk last night at cube london with Nick Williams ("turning passion into profit"), I got to thinking about many things, both post graduation and what I'm doing now. I started this blog as a creative outlet but also as a means of introducing people to my work and design process. I've been unsure of what to post as in the past people have copied my designs and ideas which I obviously didn't want to happen for my first real own collection. However I've decided there isn't enough of my own stuff or thoughts on here at the moment and it's something I'm going to address. So I feel it's important for me to summarise what my current collection and design ideas are about, and maybe..show some of my work!

Basically, the concept behind my collection is to explore a potential direction for the future of luxury footwear. For me this encompasses utilising technology to enhance development of a considered product, and one which is truly innovative in every sense. By innovative I mean "designing" and considering all aspects of the product; from aesthetics to raw material, to life-cycle (during and post-consumer), and supply chain, as essentially we design these when we choose materials, factory for manufacture and so on. Having started to learn about the product development process and the consequences of human consumption on a wider basis (recommended first reading "cradle to cradle") I feel we absolutely have to change te way products are developed, and that there is a huge void in the luxury fashion arena for more considered products. It's my vision for this to go hand in hand with an avant-guarde aesthetic as first and foremost people want an attractive product.

So essentially my brand vision and design ethos is one of "total innovation", encompassing:

• The use of technologies to confront and enhance design, challenging traditional shoe-making methods and allowing development of beautiful new products.
• Consideration of sustainability: responsible material sourcing, intelligent product design relating to life cycle of materials before and after consumption, ethical manufacture and a considered approach to product development and brand management on a whole which is responsible, e.g local manufacture, organic dust-bags/packaging etc.
• New approach to Leather: I will only be using Soil Association certified Organic Leather from Natureally (currently the only tannery of its kind) which traces the tanning of leather back to the individual animal and can ensure the animal has been treated to the highest standards throughout life and death, as well as ensuring no chrome chemicals are used in the tanning process. (See previous post leather vs. luxury) Replacing exotics in my collection, which people expect at a luxury level i will use fish skin from Atlantic leather who aren't certified but vet their supply chain closely and have an environmentally considered approach to tanning, e.g. using geothermal energy.

leather vs luxury

One of the most important things for me when developing my designs is a consideration of what I use to make products, where it comes from and how materials can be cleverly utilised. As a designer that's a great responsibility. With so much "eco" hype it seems like everyone is eager to jump on the bandwagon and labelling something as such has become a way of selling products which are often not really that much less destructive to the environment. It's also made people a lot more sceptical. As I see it, I don't want any product I design to ultimately involve the suffering of any being or the environment. In particular where shoes are concerned leather is a tricky issue. Particularly in luxury, leathers often involve the uneccessary suffering of animals..(fur, exotics where snakes are skinned alive and even baby goats (kid), baby cow (calf) etc where the animals may be starved prior to slaughter to loosen the skin and so on).

No luxury product in my world could ever be a luxury to me where a sentient being has had to undergo such suffering. That doesn't mean I don't think leather should be used as a material - more the way it's created should be respected and appreciated as a product of something that was once living. Most people see it as a commodity and I think it's sad that we're so de-sensitized to it. Leather is beautiful. Once you understand how to work with it it's so addictive and is rightly the perfect material for making shoes.

I want to find a way of using leather that can also respect the creatures it came from and to do this is nigh impossible. Currently hides are traded globally following slaughter, and the majority of the world's leather comes from animals raised in developing countries where welfare standards are poor. How can you guarantee the leather you're using hasn't come from some poor animal half starved, transported thousands of miles and killed on a production line which slaughters 400 animals an hour? You can't - without the implementation of some kind of tracking system or certification. Enter Soil Association Organic. The Soil Association is the British body for Organic certification. Soil Association standards, “rigorously protect all aspects of animal well-being - from rearing, feeding and shelter, to transportation and slaughter.” So if you can buy Organic meat, why can't you buy Organic leather? Leather which guarantees the welfare of the animal as well as being of high quality: that's my mission.