Mental Shoes 004

Collins: Maybe I’m just groping for some kind of ‘creation myth’ to explain why
humanity came to treat footwear as expression, as something more than practical
necessity.
Jenna: Depictions of footwear from ancient cultures tell us that some shoes were
more intricate than they needed to be, and certainly went beyond simply protecting
the foot. The ancient Greeks definitely eroticized footwear (among many other
things) and prostitutes of the time often wore platform heels to attract customers.
More than two thousand years later and we are still putting on shoes to entice.
Collins: Check out this photo on your ‘About’ page, with the two greenish neogothic
shapes swimming in blooms. They are, to ordinary pumps, as Chartres cathedral is
to a Costco warehouse. Both buildings contain a volume. One is about worship,
glory, spectacle. It’s hard for me to fathom why people built the cathedral, but I
end up being kinda glad they did.
Jenna: I like the analogy of the Vivier shoes to Chartres cathedral, both certainly
inspire worship. And I do think that a beautiful handcrafted shoe should be
admired.
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