This will Destroy You

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As you already know I am a huge fan of Anastasia Radevich’s shoes, along with Susie of Stylebubble. She is always doing something different, and I have to say a lot of her pieces seem like museum worthy pieces. Pieces featured below may not be considered for everyday wear, but still I think it’s important to apply new and dramatic techniques to cobbling, especially if the visuals attempt to tell a story. In this case we can see the use of typography being used to not only fill out a wedge space but also to display a startling sentence: ‘This will destroy you‘ was Radevich’s choice of words. You know I am no shoe historian, but I think this is the first time I’m seeing a shoe use typography in such a 3 dimensional fashion.

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Letters are stacked and blended together to fit her statement, you have to look closely to read it but her interesting use of text makes you want to investigate further. You notice on the last two words “Destroy You” the word U also functions as a T to fill out ‘Destroy’.

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I don’t know how she got these letters to crackle like dry land, but the effect is quite realistic. I’m really very curious to learn more about the technical production behind this shoe. The shoe is wearable and walkable, but the wedge is quite tall so you need some practicing.

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Decaying vibes.

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Before we get to Anastasia’s story behind the shoes, I have to say I love the print on these shoes, the fabric feels like silk or satin, not good for everyday obviously but the light fabric is made sturdy with sculpted leather on the inside. These prints are representative of something that is going on environmentally in Canada, though looking at it without that information you could also say it looks like some kind of abstract painting. Or less of an abstract painting and more of an apocalyptic landscape.

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Radevich’s inspiration behind this shoe is quite alarming actually, she wanted to bring attention to the tar sand mining operation going on in Canada. As you know this action could lead to some devastating and irreversible damage to our climate. In Anastasia’s shoe we see her using both interesting imagery and text to bring light to a potentially devastating scenario. But quite ironic to have such a beautiful outcome from such a critical situation.  There is more information on the Tar Sands of Alberta and it’s potential impact here.

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Always SO exciting to see shoes like this, even though I am definitely someone who enjoys practicality. You cannot deny that shoes can be like little walking, moving pieces of sculptural art. I think shoes have a quality that attract more drama than clothing does, you can do so much with a simple wedge or heel because it doesn’t necessarily need to fit around your body, be soft or comfortable. We can all agree that Lady Gaga could definitely be rocking these on the red carpet, but maybe that would make too light of Anastasia’s shoe, which is really here to bring some attention to an environmental cause. Either way I can’t wait to see what Ms. Radevich will be up to next… This shoe is really only the tip of the iceberg, she has produced a full collection that you should really check out.

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Not strange at all that this one shoe leaves you with wanting more. I already linked to her recent collection but here’s a short preview. Thanks for reading, more soon.

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