Of course Christopher Kane couldn’t resist redesigning another incredibly 'ugly' shoe. After all, this is the designer who sent plain old Crocs accessorised with charms down his SS17 catwalk. At the time, it was just another example of the fashion industry’s seemingly never-ending obsession with polarising shoes (see: Birkenstocks, Uggs, and “dad trainers” as further proof). But Kane’s latest piece of footwear has taken the trend to new — albeit even more comfortable — heights.
On Monday, the designer presented his AW18 collection during London Fashion Week, for which he partnered with an actual orthopaedic shoe company, Z-Coil, to outfit his models in next-level 'ugly' shoes. Featuring a wash of crystals over the toe, strap, and heel, the black leather shoe includes velcro fastenings and a coiled spring heel.
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Considering the collection was inspired by the 1970's handbook The Joy Of Sex, Kane's juxtaposition certainly proves interesting. Although, perhaps there's an argument to be made about crystal embellishment being able to sex-up just about anything.
"Once more intrigued by the utilitarian and the extravagant, a new collaboration appears in the form of shoes by Z-Coil orthopaedics," a statement from the designer reads. "At once practical and echoing something more deeply historical, the shoes, like the collection itself, are at once playful, prim and perverse."
Z-Coil was clearly thrilled with the fashion-forward co-sign; the company shared a snap from Kane’s show on Instagram — a photo of a model wearing a knit purple dress with embellished shoulders, a co-ordinating bag, and the orthopaedic shoes in all their sparkling, bouncy glory — captioning it: “Coils making a statement on the runway!”
“It’s reality,” Kane told Footwear News of the shoes backstage. “They’re quite weird but I like an ugly shoe, as you know.” Plus, he added: “They’re very good for your back, for your posture.”
With the initial outrage about Kane's Crocs soon turning into lust, we're sure these will be seen on the feet of several street stylers come next season's fashion month.