Do you think that the time has come for clothing and shoe design to undergo metamorphosis?
Certainly, metamorphosis is unavoidable, in my opinion. It’s important that we change our approach to overconsumption and reckless consumerism. Our relationship with things is becoming increasingly fleeting, which is supported by the desire for novelty and impersonal perfection. The contemporary linear model of how we create, consume and subsequently throw away things is unsustainable. We should get inspired by the concept of a circular economy that strives for things or processed and raw materials to stay in circulation as long as possible. Just as is works in nature where all the processes are very effective and circular and no waste is created.
The shoewear collections Odds & Ends and OffCuts are perfect examples of changes in your approach to shoe design and your maturing as a designer. Could you introduce there two collections for us?
Odds & Ends came to life as my bachelor project. I was looking into deformations and modifications to the human body, which are considered as the oldest art form by some experts. They’re also closely connected to the concept of beauty. They’ve been appearing since prehistoric times and today is no different but they’ve always been influenced by the specific aesthetic, social and religious norms of the given culture. That inspired me to create the zoomorphic collection Odds & Ends, which disrupts the traditional silhouette and morphology of shoewear.
I started working on the OffCuts collection three years later as a part of my thesis in which I addressed the search for conceptual, structural and material solutions to shoe design in order to minimize its impact on the environment. OffCuts are a concept that stems from the idea of circular design and reflections on the possibilities of building deeper emotional relationships with things. An object that bears a degree of imperfection is able to elicit a feeling of deeper connection in us. Therefore, I deliberately worked with randomness, irregularity and imperfection that all carry a human presence. I combined the aesthetic of machine-made precise details with raw hands-on interventions. Important for me was also the tactility factor. I played with the heterogeneity of structures and surfaces, which will then provide the wearer with a complex sensory experience and deepen their interaction with the object.
A shoe belongs, from the sustainability point of view, among complicated objects. Besides other reasons, it’s because it consists of a large number of varied materials of both natural and technical origin, which are irreversibly connected with glue. OffCuts were therefore designed as a mechanical jigsaw puzzle of individual components thanks to which the shoe could be easily repaired and its lifespan lengthened, which is very important for me regarding shoes. At the end of the shoe’s lifecycle, the individual materials could be separated again and further recycled so they would stay a part of material circulation without losing their value. I utilized factory scraps or leftovers of my previous projects that were of non-organic origin and still of quality and durability.
The problematic of shoewear sustainability is very complex and there is no ideal or unequivocal solution. I still continue with the OffCuts project and I feel it’s necessary to look for more systemic solutions and to evaluate concepts with analytical tools such as the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) method.
Do you remember when did the switch in your approach happen and you left leather out of your works? Do you miss the qualities of the material?
It was something of a gradual process as I started to take a deeper and deeper interest in things. I realized that my field of study is a major contributor to the crisis we are finding ourselves in at the moment – not only from the environmental but also ethical and social point of view. I would love to see thinking about sustainability becoming a natural part of design in the future, either as form or function, not only as a topic. But that’s a long way ahead.
I stopped eating meat several years ago so it was natural to abandon leather even though it was a material I liked working with. Today, we have a wide range of quality alternative natural- or technical-based materials that compare to leather with their attributes and their development is still progressing. What are they lacking to me, though, is the ability to mature beautifully. By workings of time and wear, leather gets its natural patina and can last for decades if one takes good care of it.
Any future plans?
Currently, I collaborate with a small factory from Zlín, the Czech Republic, on a shoe prototype that has its roots in OffCuts.
CREDITS
Designer / Maria Nina Václavková
Interview / Kateřina Hynková
Translation / Františka Blažková
Odds & Ends photoshoot / @tajaspasskova
Model / Petra Holečková
OffCuts photoshoot / @shotby.us
Model/ @manaberec
