Radical Vertical

Chris Francis Fashion Interview by Elliott-Alfred Attia
Photos by Chris Francis
Chris Francis’
radical way
of making
ready-to-wear
shoes
EA How important is the process of
creating the shoe for you?
CF I enjoy the process often times
more than the result. I’m just trying to relax
an overactive mind and nothing else seems
to work. Designing and making shoes
involves a complex thought process where
every decision must be well orchestrated and
strategically executed. My mind operates
more efficiently when I’m in the studio. It’s like
I’ve been given a race car and it only operates
on high octane fuel and doesn’t operate to
its full potential while driving on city streets—
it needs a track.
The studio is my metaphoric race
track; I can run wide open and for me that is
very relaxing.
EA What is your favourite part of
the process?
CF Winning a game of chess against
myself and seeing creations come to life that
I can display as trophies. When a new design
happens that has not been seen by myself
or the rest of the world, I feel victorious but
it’s hard to achieve that. My favorite designs
end up being the unconventional ones. I find
shoe designs that are already known to the
world less challenging for me, because I can
already see examples of them, therefore I
anticipate the success of their creation. I love
the idea that I may fail. If I feel like the design
is too easy and there is not enough risk I’ll
be apprehensive to go on a journey with it;
I’d rather crash and burn than chew my arm
off over some boring design that I don’t want
on my shelf.
EA What is the most challenging aspect
when creating these shoes? Do you ever have
creative block?
CF Feeling the need to contribute
my own design and expression, and achieve
unique results when so much has already been
done with this form. I hit creative blocks that
are extremely frustrating and usually they
arrive when I compare myself to others. The
moment I stop and think about how a designer
I admire has previously done something, or
I realize that I have already done something
with this form to break barriers, I start
to hit a block.
I start to ask myself, “What’s the
point, why push this any further, is there
anything left to contribute?”
I look at my shelves and realize
that I have contributed; there are shoes
there that don’t exist anywhere else than
from my own mind and seeing that pulls me
back to creativity.
When I’m building a collection, I
refuse to look at other shoes or shoe books.
I don’t want any subliminal influence or
anything to compare myself to.
EA
Who is your ideal client?
CF A kind one. I’m not intentionally
exclusive to anyone. My neighbor gets the
same dedication and quality as a superstar and
it’s the same price no matter who walks through
the door. My clients are all characters—it’s a
mix of celebrities and creative people who
just want a special pair of shoes; everyone is
welcomed.
EA
Who do you make shoes for?
CF People who aren’t afraid to stand
out and who don’t need the crowd’s approval.
My clients aren’t afraid to wear one-of-akind
designs and probably prefer to, and
that’s why they come. They know they can
come to me and get something that isn’t
mass produced. I don’t deal with too many
people who are following the trends or the
rules and if they are, they probably don’t
know my name. I know every single customer.
It’s like a family, I run this like a proper Italian
restaurant and when you are here you are part
of the family, names stay behind closed doors,
I like it old school.
EA What is your biggest struggle in
terms of the process?
CF
Dealing with everyone who works here.
The maker and the designer don’t
get along, the designer is uptight and very
demanding while the maker is like a disheveled
anarchist, he can’t stand rules or being told
what to do at all and thinks his ideas are better
than the designer’s. The artist here is too
thoughtful, he’ll sit and stare at the creation
all day long while trying to make one decision
only to make a change that doesn’t amount
to anything. There’s the “architect”—he’s got
no credentials as an architect but he thinks he
knows better than everyone else in the house
and that structural engineering surpasses
design and art; he thinks he comes first. All of
these characters get ahold of the phone and
write posts on social media but the business
guy erases all of them and tries to keep these
guys quiet! None of us get along but we
are all the same person, and it’s this friction
combined with a seemingly endless amount of
fuel that keeps the creations coming.
EA What is your most prominent
creative influence in terms of these shoes?
CF Probably music? I visualize music
where most people only hear it—many of
my shoes are the result of this ability. Colors,
shapes and ideas are usually generated by my
way of processing sound. I once listened to
Modest Mouse while making a pair of shoes
and the pair unintentionally came out all grey
and gloomy—there was no contrast, just cold
grey tones. I love their music though
and find it rich with creativity and
depth, but it mostly looks cold and grey
visually. I listen to them when it rains.
During the Ten Acts of
Brutalism collection, I pretty much only
listened to Grandmaster Flash and the
Furious Five. That collection was raw,
3
9
coarse and real; it was heavy and I needed
the sound of the Furious Five to lift ideas like
that off the ground. The whole collection was
made of concrete, steel and raw materials:
they were shoes that looked like high rise
housing projects. I don’t think I would have
arrived at the same collection had I listened to
anyone else.
EA You have very eclectic influences—
ranging from pop music to art. Tell us more
about your landscape of influence?
CF I have no limitations upon myself
when it comes to exploration of music and
culture, I want and need all influences. I’m not
part of any scene so I don’t stand judgement
for venturing out of the boundaries usually
found within scenes. I’m listening to a punk
band one minute and a pop band the next,
rap, folk, country, gospel, hardcore, metal,
there are no boundaries, no scenes, no rules,
no one else to entertain other than myself. I
enjoy some buildings and I’ve always tried to
love art even though I’m not usually moved
by it as much as I should be. Usually I am
looking at art, trying to figure out what in the
hell I’m looking at, and I include my own work
in the statement.
I studied shoemaking by following
the outdated curriculum of the Bauhaus
School. I put myself through the four year
program and rigorously exposed myself to
all types of building materials, architecture,
craft, fine arts, textiles, drawing, painting,
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