How do I start researching? Should I explore some of the most
popular shoe designers works? I would love to do that, as, after all, I am a
woman, and in most cultures women and shoes go together, but as Nancy Sinatra
say: the boots are made for walking, so I better start researching the early
years of shoe development.
1500 years ago, drawings of humans with animal skins and furs
wrapped around their feet were found in a Spanish cave. The “ice-man” body,
preserved for nearly 5,000 years shows that men of that time used to wear some
sort of footwear. It seems like “shoes” have always been around in one form or
another. But have they really changed much over the years?
The Egyptians used coiled sole sandals, similar to today’s flip
flops. I am going to try and use the same idea, but instead of using papyrus bundles
I will use Hemp, as it is also a natural and environment friendly material but
mostly because it is far more available (and modern) than papyrus.
For my design, I chose to focus on Hanbok – the Korean shoes. While
researching people’s needs, the need for aesthetics has arisen again and again
and I find the Korean design highly aesthetic.
Hanbok usually refers specifically
to clothing of the Joseon period and is worn as semi-formal or formal wear during
traditional festivals and celebrations. In the past they were made with rubber,
always in plain primary colours, clean cuts and design. In my work, I plan on
preserving the use of primary colour, but I am hoping to explore some colour
designs, all inspired by nature. Again, as the idea is to keep the design
natural and ecological, some adjustments may need to be considered.
References:
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