I just know a new designer Raphael Young on Vogue. I really liked his design. Like his shoes, his life is also a legendary. He is a Korean-born, French-raised young man. Look at these photos, a typical artist's face and attitude- very individual and unique.
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He was descended from a family of shoe makers and uses artistic craftsmanship to his footwear that approaches couture. He declares “Leather is my universe” which indicates his aesthetics and style. He employs a variety of exotic materials from elephant, deer and others, shaping them into a strong structure of shoes, endowing high heels with more powerful statement.
New collection Fall 2010
The blue one is so gorgeous! It is like a piece of art work. All the ankle boots look very cool and strong. Black and white are minimalist but different materials create different visual looks. If it were not for those 'strange' heels, the shoes may be a little simple. The futurist design becomes the symbol of his brand spirit.
Here is part of an interview from a web. I think it is good to understand his ideals and concepts.
http://www.dazeddigital.com/view/Default.aspx?Category=14&ArticleID=1490&PageNum=4
Why did you go into designing shoes?
I was quite a reserved child, a romantic dreamer as you say in English. But I always found an expressive outlet in the process of creating. And as I always had a strong interest in women as they are, in my opinion, the most beautiful and intriguing creatures I have ever encountered. But it was through my family that, without a doubt, I fell into the business and art of shoe-making. It was my Uncle who taught me everything about the true craftsmanship of shoe-making, and it was in his atelier, that I would spend every holiday, learning and working on shoe-shaping and the whole mechanics.
What kind of woman do you see wearing your shoes?
I don’t really think of a particular woman when I’m designing my shoes. I don’t have a muse, not of a real woman at least. I just want women to feel good in my shoes, I mean really good. Firstly the shoes need to feel comfortable and secondly look amazing. I would like my shoes to bring women confidence, bring them a bit of audaciousness…I just want to add beauty to women, never ever diminish them. I have always seen women as the most perfect creatures ever as I only want to place that beauty in emphasis with my shoes.
When it comes to heels, how high is too high?
I don't really consider height as a fundamental aspect in the process of designing shoes, as I initially see things more from a technical point of view. Because you see, for me, it's all about the bending and arch of the shape and how it defines the shoe. But you know, when you're creating - sky's the limit and that's how I want to keep things.
