cat potter crafts geometric shoes from wood and corian

cat potter crafts geometric shoes from wood and corian
image by victoria zschommler

as a fashion artist, specialized in conceptual, wearable footwear, london-based designer cat potter crafts architectural, angular and acutely composed shoes. made from materials like walnut and sapele wood, acrylic, brass and corian, the high-heels are carved into a colossal volume, with sinuous voids chiseled out where the foot lies. for the ‘future stars?’ exhibition at the aram gallery, london, potter exhibits her ‘freja’ and ‘pernilla’ collections, embodying her own experimental attitude to thinking and making.

‘freja’ shoes made from corian and architectural foam
image by victoria zschommler

‘freja’ had been produced and manufactured in collaboration with dupont. using their corian material, potter has clad the internal sections of CNC milled architectural foam to create a seamless space for the foot. the shoes highlight corian’s new deepcolor technology, allowing for the the creation of dark, solid surfaces with more a intense tone, as well as improved wear performance and easier thermoforming, seaming and finishing.

angular forms are formed around the foot
image by victoria zschommler

the pair of ‘freja’shoes
image by victoria zschommler

the ‘pernilla’ shoes meet at the intersection of architecture and sculpture. the collection is based on complex computer modeling and labor intensive fabrication process, as an investigation into different manufacturing techniques for shoe-making. potter has used a 3D scanner to map the contours of the foot, ensuring the best possible fit. each limb is then analyzed for it length, width, instep and breadth at the toes. the result demonstrates the diverse possibilities of bespoke footwear, marking a sophisticated and sculptural form from wood, which traces the silhouette of the foot on the inside, and diffuses its profile on the outside.

‘future stars?’ at the aram gallery will be exhibiting from now until october 24th, 2014.

look 3 in pairs

look 3 single shoe

look 1 open

look 1

sketches

sketches