These back-to-front shoes by designer Leanie van der Vyver force the wearer to walk in an unnatural way (+ movie).
Unlike a conventional pair of high-heels, the front of each shoe is more elevated than the back. The wearer must place their pointed toes into the heel, then lean forward to rest their shins on the front of the shoe, which is reinforced with a carbon-fibre rod.
The only way to walk wearing the shoes is with bent knees and a shrugged posture.
Leather envelops the outer body of each shoe, while the insides are lined with soft leather that covers a supporting layer of orthopaedic memory foam.
Van der Vyver worked with shoe designer René van den Berg to create the pieces for her final project at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, based on the idea that "people are never satisfied with how they look". She claims that "beauty is currently at an all time climax" and explains that this project was an exploration of "what lies beyond perfection".
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Photography is by Lyall Coburn.
This is the most dumb thing ever seen on Dezeen. BY FAR.
Looks like it would be easier to walk backwards.
Should be used as punishment for girls who totter around in heels they quite clearly can’t walk in (says the old grumpy flat footed lady).
Soon to arrive from the same designer – Arse Hats!
Why?
As an idea, fine. For practical purposes…
Ugg, I know its the point, but I get so uncomfortable and queasy watching her walk distorted like that.
Best shoes ever for dirty toilets.
This is not for practical purposes, dumbdumbs. It's social commentary.
Apparently discomfort and awkwardness lies beyond perfection.
Silent Hill monster prototype.
For some reason they remind me of a table’s legs.
Where’s the sense in that?
Pathetic. Try making life easier, that is what good design should be about, not some perverted rubbish. Dezeen is full of stupid stuff these days (I bet I get censored for that).
Beauty’s Vanity. Oh yes.
Your comments disgust me, truly. Judging this piece based upon practical criteria is equivalent to judging a Picasso painting on how “realistic” it looks.
This is obviously a comment on the absurdity and cruelty involved in feminine apparel, such as high heel shoes, and on the the strange beauty they generate. Love the project; hate the comments.
Now we all know what you want vs need for Xmas!
Calm down Stan. You’re right but no need to be “disgusted” by everyone or quite so dismissive.
I totally agree with Stan!
But Picasso paintings, although unrealistic, were always beautiful to look at either because of the bizarre shape of the object or person or because of the combination of colours.
In this case I really don’t find anything extraordinary about the piece of art itself; even the message is little bit old. The object is not beautiful, it hasn’t been developed in any special way, and like I said the message is old, even the way of communicating it.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this popped up on a future episode of Facejacker.
Okay so the project is social commentary. Except that it’s like a parody of a parody.
THIS is dignity.
The person who made these should be locked away. It’s clear that if that model had have kept walking she would have easily broken her legs. Project concluded.
Ooooh, but do they come in D width?
Rather than using products and art for social commentary and to convey a message, why not just say what it is you must say?
Because of the context in which it was created! Read the article, this is an art school graduate project. Also, nobody likes to read/listen anymore.
Additionally I wouldn’t classify this as a product: it’s not destined for retail.
Because then there would be no art.
Do we know if she made it to the bathroom in time?
In related news, industrial designer forces people to walk unnatural by strapping a 100 kg rock to their heads!
Seeing the comments I do think that this piece is quite successful. When people say this project looks stupid, it represents what I think when I look at certain shoes in shops on the high street. So I do like it. Next thing you know Lady Gaga will be wearing them. I have seen ladies walking around in London looking just as uncomfortable.
Really! You think?!
Beautifully made video, great project!!! Some people here appear to be quite narrow minded by saying or suggesting things like 'design is about making people's life easier'. It's also about exploring, experimenting and questioning the world around us, our culture and the things that shape us.
Lots of daddy issues with this one.
Reminds me of a short story titled The Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin. Best heard from the man himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feTrJSWnqdk
Because nothing says beautiful like walking around like an 88 year old with severe osteoporosis.
Poor girl. Those shoes look like death wrapped up into a heel. They’ve got the name wrong. They should be called “They’re Worse Than They Look”. I think walking in these looks like worse torture than The Human Centipede did and my oh my, that wasn’t pretty.
It’s quite apparent that a piece of art requires criticism not idealism. Put yourself in those shoes and express your thoughts. I would say she is standing barefoot pretending to wear shoes. As commented by a guest, it would be better to walk backwards in those.
Altruistically, they are not conceptual nor futuristic: they are a study of elements in design. BALANCE! SOH, don’t try this at home kiddies. Ergonomically, they are wrong. Imagine if it were a child, would you wear it?
In my opinion there are more similarities than differences in wearing a burqa and wearing high heels.
We all live under conditions that help define who we become. Some of these are so deeply and invisibly embedded in society (often called paradigms) that we are not consciously aware of them. Good art helps you stop and (re)think yourself and the world you live in.
With Leanie van der Vyver’s excellent project, maybe now we may want to understand the peculiar forces maintaining this fascinating paradigm.
That’s very beautiful, like bondage shoes. It can be used for this purpose too. I’ll make one of them for me and one for my friend.
Forget the shoes, who is she? :D
*sigh*
Please READ before you post.
“She (the designer) claims that “beauty is currently at an all time climax” and explains that this project was an exploration of “what lies beyond perfection”.
I think the designer was quite successful in achieving her aim.
These shoes make her point in a far more engaging way than her standing on a soap box and reciting her opinions.
It’s true; the world is so mad that one day, with the right advertising campaign, I can imagine that these shoes could take off.
I’m entertained.
Modern foot-binding… yuck.
Easily the best way to demean a supermodel
Funny how people insist on slaughtering this as ridiculous and impractical design when it is quite clearly an art project where the ridiculousness, impracticality and discomfort is what she is trying to convey by exaggerating an ideal to the extreme. I guess the “this is stupid” reaction is proof that she managed to hit a nerve, which makes it a good project.
This is just plain stupid. What's next? Restaurants competing to produce the most nausea-inducing cuisine?
This would fit right into a TV comedy sketch show. Ministry of funny walks? Why Dezeen would feature something as a serious article I do not know.
Fantastic project. Conveyed her message perfectly, ignited discussion & lots of people further highlighted her point with the kneejerk commentaries! Clever.