Here are new photos of the shoes Zaha Hadid Architects designed for Brazilian brand Melissa.
The moulded plastic shoes were launched last month.
Photos are by David Grandorge and used with permission.
More Dezeen stories about designer shoes:
Campana Brothers for Melissa
Jaime Hayon for Camper
Apprentice shoes by Doshi Levien
eBoy trainers for DKNY
Electric Light Shoe by Freedom of Creation for Onitsuka Tiger
Here's some info from Zaha Hadid Architects:
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MELISSA [DESIGNED IN LONDON]
2008
PROGRAM: Product Design
CLIENT: GRENDENE S/A
Av. Pedro Grendene 131
P.O.Box 230
95.180-000
Farroupilha-RS-Brazil
ARCHITECT: Design Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Lead Design Ana M. Cajiao
Design Team Maria Araya, Muthahar Khan
MELISSA [BRAZIL]
The collaboration with Melissa expands Zaha Hadid’s portfolio to the field of fashion, creating an exciting opportunity to express spatial ideas in a different scale and through different media. For the fi rst time Melissa is collaborating with an architect opening a new research topic, diversifying its repertoire.
The design engages with the fluid organic contours of the body. The shoes asymmetric quality conveys an inherent sense of move-ment to the design, evoking continuous transformation. The concept addresses the perception of wearing the shoe in motion rather than a static display on a shopping window.
The shoes emerge from the ground and climb up the foot and leg with a soft elegant movement. The plastic organic quality of the choreography adheres to the skin. There is an implicit sense of lightness that blurs the boundary between body and object.
Advanced computational modeling allowed us to develop the product and establish a dialogue with Melissa in order to bring the design to the production line. This challenging process employed 3D printing and rapid prototyping techniques as key tools for refining the ergonomics of the shoes.
The fluidity of the design was a perfect match with Melissa’s plastic injection mould technology, generating great synergy between the teams.
An overall strategy extends the design values to the packaging and marketing systems, sharing the same fl uidity and seamlessness of the shoes, and enhancing the experience of the product as a whole. The collaboration embodies the values of the brand creating and exciting product that is fun and new.