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Scary Beautiful by Leanie van der Vyver

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.


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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.

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