The Independent: She’s hot on the heels
April 26, 2009THE INDEPENDENT FEATURES SOPHIE GITTINS’ STUDIO AND SHOES:
“You don’t have to have read Sigmund Freud to know that there’s more to a pair of high heels than meets the eye, but Sophie Gittins’ luxurious footwear takes subtext to a new level. With inspirations ranging from architecture to Victorian scientific drawings, the 25-year-old designer is establishing herself as one to watch with her predilection for translating unusual concepts into wearable reality with a painstaking attention to craftsmanship and quality.”
S O P H I E • G I T T I N S : DEBUT AW09 COLLECTION
April 9, 2009FASHION FRINGE SHOES FINALIST SOPHIE GITTINS DEBUTS A COLLECTION OF LUXURIOUSLY DELECTABLE HEELS TO EFFORTLESSLY UPDATE YOUR STYLE FROM THE FEET UP.
Fashion Fringe Shoes finalist Sophie Gittins unveils her shoe label during London Fashion Week in February 2009. This ultra talented designer has been working with British manufacturers and suppliers to create an impressive debut collection drawing inspiration from the jewellery, furniture and textile industries of visual arts movement Weiner Werkstatte. Sharp designs with spiked stilettos make up a feminine yet edgy collection of architectural shapes.
Established in 1903, the Wiener Werkstatte was an Austrian production community of visual artists whose distinctive style and meticulously crafted works were characterised by simple shapes, minimal decoration and geometric patterning. The workshop endeavoured to bring together architects, artists and designers whose first commitment was to instil these aesthetic ideals into both objects from traditional crafts and fine arts alike. Sophie Gittins incorporates the Weiner Werkstatte method through simplified silhouettes and graphic prints, with each shoe named after a key member of the movement.
The shoes are crafted from leathers and fabrics of the highest quality including goat suede, plush velvet, shredded silk organza, mohair wool bouclé and butter soft lamb nappa. Additionally a graphic printed silk has been exclusively re-created for the collection from the archive of the Stephen Walters Silk Mill. Stunning spiked heels reaching 115mm high are sufficiently vertiginous and a fierce focal point of the collection. A recurring theme of classic, feminine elegance flows throughout the entire line with a focus on sharp, architectural form providing a structured yet stylish edge. These are unquestionably shoes that are the epitome of luxury and soon to become a “must have” in every fashion-focused shopper’s wardrobe.
Featured: Rix in Malachite Green.