Eisenman Sandals

2011-2012

The upper (or the standalone sandal) of this collection draws inspiration from the 1975 axonometric model of House X by the architect and educator Peter Eisenman. In the 1983 version of the book House X, Eisenman explained that the axonometric model was born out of the cancellation of the project by the client. Making the design into the axonometric model forever encapsulated the project in the realm of theoretical representation. Similarly, the Eisenman Sandals are not designed for wear but to explore how functional components such as straps, heels, and arch support can emerge from a single plane of material simply by being pulled in the z-direction, much like a parallel projection.

The platforms of this collection are a series of studies for folding titanium or stainless steel sheets into heels that not only form surfaces and arch support to reinforce the footbed but provide spring action for the mechanics of walking normally afforded by a shank, a piece of steel embedded in most leather soles.