Congratulations to Jeaeun You, a 23-year old student attending De Montfort University, the first place winner for the footwear category and the overall winner of the 2021 UK Design Competition.
What inspired your design?
There are so many interesting things in life. I like to sit in a café and observe people. Nothing is more fun than spending time looking at their actions. Looking at people, you can find their walk, habits, and characteristics. They really have their own colours. So I decided that this project’s subject was performance art. In a way, I was influenced by every movement and designed it.
The first thing I found was that the colours of many works were black and white. I think these are the best colours to express dynamic movements and the simplest and most perfect colours that are contrasting and easy to see.
Second, when a person moves, they can see their movements more closely by taking continuous shots or videos. Even if it is not a repetitive action, all movements are connected to movement. Also, thanks to the pictures that came out like infinite repetition, my point is to express the long-connected behaviour through the pleats pattern with the strap and combined oversize unit.
The shoes are made of top quality leather materials, and the unit is also made of rubber and leather.
While designing this, I tried to capture movement in fashion, and I loved the process of reinterpreting abstract performance into fashion. Also, every design is meaningful, and I believe it will be representative of how I can express myself.
Instagram : @Jeaeun_footwear
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