Unless you are doing an Avant Guade school project, you are a couture designer making a statement or a contestant on Project Runway some things should just be left as ideas, not actually viable products for consumption. I know this gets into a whole debate over function verse fashion, and art is highly subjective. And I’m fan of repurposing resources, but sometimes the effort doesn’t seem worth the outcome. For example a meat dress, yes it happened, but really why.
Because I love shoes, and this is well known by many, I get sent all types of shoes pictures and factoids, which I love. This week I informed about shoes made to simulate the look of meteorites. Now this sounds really cool, but honestly they are so ugly the novelty was not worth the effort involved to create them. Pockmarked pumice pumps (I like alliterations) judge for your self, I included a photo. And this is a flattering picture.
I have heard of shoes made from discarded furniture- good on them for the recycling aspect, interesting yes, pretty no.
There is a Taiwanese hair stylist who uses the cut hair from her salon to make shoes; they are not ugly surprisingly, but still odd. Not my cup of tea.
I have seen shoes made of old circuit boards, Legos and aluminum cars, creative yes, but still not pretty.
But the winner of ‘yes you can, but why’—drum roll please– pumps made from elephant dung. Yes, you read that correctly, elephant dung.
My shoe fanaticism has not evolved to the point where I will ever think this is a good idea. Pretty, comfortable and/ or functional, these are the qualities I want from my shoes, weird, ugly and gross, I’ll pass. Possibly I lack the sophistication to appreciate high art, I will learn to live with my shortcomings.
Laura