These aluminium foam high heels by London-based Studio Swine are designed to look like chunks of extraterrestrial rock.

Influenced by the European Space Agency's landing of the Philae lander on Comet 67P in November, Studio Swine founders Azusa Murakami and Alex Groves created the high-heeled Meteorite Shoes as part of a project for technology company Microsoft.

The designers visited London's Natural History Museum to research rocky masses that have fallen to Earth from space, and investigate their forms and textures.

Aluminium foam – commonly found in buildings and luxury cars as sound insulation – was chosen as the material to best represent the lumps of meteoroid rock.

"Whilst the metal is in a molten state, gassing agents are injected creating a pumice-like material full of thousands of irregular cells," said the designers. "It's an example of how industry and natural forces can merge to create a beautiful material."

The solid, lightweight foam – that consists of 90 per cent air – was milled using computer numerically controlled (CNC) technology to form the uneven shape.

Bubbles in the foam create the texture across the outer surfaces, while the insides are lined like traditional shoes to fit comfortably.

The back of each shoe cantilevers from the base to prevent a stiletto or wedge heel from spoiling the illusion.

"The rock forms have a hidden cantilever, so it's hard to see in the photos, but the weight goes through the front and middle of the shoe," Groves told Dezeen.

The footwear designs follow on from Studio Swine's collection of cabinets created with the same material for a Shanghai gallery.

Studio photography is by Petr Krejci.