NICHOLAS KIRKWOOD
One of the most futuristic shoes of the season must have been the C3PO shoes with clinking chains and a cracked golden heel at Rodarte designed by Nicholas Kirkwood. An alumnus of St Martin’s and the esteemed Cordwainers cobbler programme, Kirkwood has, in the space of 3 short years become renowned for his architectural approach to shoe design. Kirkwood strips away pointless decoration, letting form and function dictate the designs. Besides Rodarte, the catwalk collections of Phillip Lim, Belstaff, Gareth Pugh and Louise Goldin have all been graced with his sculptural creations and S/S 09 sees him make good on the “next Christian Louboutin” claims.
Why did you go into designing shoes?
I have always been interested in design and the making processes, but I thought when I was younger that I would like to do car or industrial design. When I was studying fine art at Central St. Martins, I worked in Phillip Treacy's hat shop. Many of the women who would come into the shop at the time were wearing these very girly kitten heels. I felt that there was room for something different in shoes, something more aggressive.
Tell us the inspiration for S/S 09.
I wanted the collection to be bold and saturated in its colour, graphic, sharp in its lines, abstract in its shapes, aggressive yet very feminine and refined.
Tell us some of the materials you have used for the new season.
I used many of the materials that I have used in the past, classic shoe making materials: suede, patent, satin, python and alligator. The exotic skins were used for their graphic quality and texture. I also did a group of shoes with a pearl platform that looked as if a string of pearls was integral to the structure of the platform, that was combined with glossy black patent and lace embossed leather, for what I think is a different take on these classical materials. I also used mirrored metallic as a neutral and did a 'silhouette' grouping all done in a mix of only black materials to emphasize only the silhouette, all contrasted with an encrusted Swarovski crystal heel.
What kind of woman do you see wearing your shoes?
A sharp, feminine woman with a defined vision of herself. This is the woman who I aspire to dress. Carine Roitfeld, Cecilia Dean, Daphne Guinness and woman of that ilk. Chic women with an agressive attitude toward their fashion and style, who are decadent in their character, and who make it look easy.
When it comes to heels, how high is too high?
Completely depends on the woman, but without a little effort you'll never know what you're capable of...
