5 Designers Rethinking What Footwear Can Be

Expanding upon the definitions of what footwear can be, the below designers and artists bring together surprising materials and recognisable forms, while exploring the performative nature of dressing to reimagine and subvert the shoe. With sustainability and reuse at the core of several of their practices, familiar objects, from tennis balls and silk ties to foodstuffs, are appropriated and repurposed to create unexpected and beautiful wearable works of art.  

Alison Pyrke

Alison Pyrke is an interdisciplinary fashion designer based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. Her independent design practice explores the aesthetics and functions of footwear, finding ways to expand the performativity of both body and wearable objects. Having previously collaborated with Maroske Peech designers Elisa Keeler and Jordan Conder on Foot Lingerie, Pyrke’s distinctive pieces include the beautiful Soft Stilettos, made from silk organza or satin and conceived for intimate moments at home, as well as dramatically elongated shoes for your arms.

Nicole McLaughlin

Self-taught designer Nicole McLaughlin’s simultaneously playful and functional creations have gained her viral attention on Instagram, and most recently, she’s collaborated with Crocs and Greenhouse, an innovation lab from Foot Locker, to create the very limited edition Campsite Classic Clog. McLaughlin has made footwear and garments out of everything from tennis balls and balloons, to badminton shuttlecocks and packaging beads. The designer has become best known for reworking recognisable branding elements from Levi’s, Patagonia, The North Face, and Ralph Lauren, among others, into imaginative slides.

Western Affair

Founded by London based designer Olivia Pudelko, Western Affair’s unique footwear offering began with shoes formed from deadstock bridal heels circa the early 2000s, adorned with a covering of fluffy sheepskins sourced from the Polish-Slovakian mountains. The label’s portfolio of wearable works of art today include the Carpet Mules, finished with panels of vintage rugs, and the popular Tie Heels, produced in a limited edition and made from disregarded men’s ties. Among other stockists, Pudelko’s works are presently available to purchase via Browns and Farfetch.

Elizaveta Litovka

Ukrainian artist and photographer Elizaveta Litovka’s footwear series, comprising whimsical, and at times entirely peculiar, assemblages formed around feet, are shared as images and videos via her Instagram account @floweirdy. The ephemeral footwear sculptures Litovka makes are formed from an unending repertoire of materials, including Lego, banana peels, toilet role, roses and even in one instance, a real jellyfish.

Ancuta Sarca

Ancuta Sarca is the Romanian-born, London-based designer who has gained international recognition for her up-cycled trainer and vintage heel hybrid footwear. An advocate for sustainable fashion, Sarca studied in Romania and moved to London to gain professional experience before venturing out on her own. She made her debut at London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020 with a footwear presentation as part of Fashion East, and her limited edition capsule collection with retailer LN-CC sold out within an hour soon after. Her new work is now available at Browns, Joyce Hong Kong, and more soon.



Feature image via Alison Pyrke