Famed British Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid (best known for her deconstructivist architecture), has made quite a splash on the fashion scene these past few years.
The 58-year-old female architect designed the critically acclaimed Chanel mobile art pavilion, which was showcased worldwide, although its run was cut short due to the recession. It was also announced last summer that Hadid would be teaming-up with Melissa’s jelly shoes for a limited edition collection.
Finally, one year later, the Zaha Hadid-designed Melissa jelly shoes are being released. Inspired by the fluid movements of the body, the Zaha Hadid shoe collection for Melissa follows a long list of talented designers that have collaborated with the Brazilian footwear label. Past guest designers have included Vivienne Westwood, Judy Blame, and Alexandre Herchcovitch.
Melissa shoes are eco-friendly. They are vegan, made with recyclable plastic materials, and the brand is a proponent of socially responsible trade and labor practices. Further, the Zaha Hadid limited edition style will be available in both silver and black, packaged in a limited edition box, and selling for about $400 or £200 at Dover Street Market in London.
The London-based Hadid noted that the fluidity of the shoe style’s design “combined perfectly the technology of Melissa’s plastic, injecting pieces without closures or seals.”
That’s not where the news ends. Hadid has also teamed-up with Lacoste for a series of shoe styles. Previewed at the Frieze Art Fair in London, the process of designing Hadid’s shoes, according to a press release, began by digitizing the Lacoste crocodile logo.
The result was then used as a basis to explore a series of surfaces with repeated patterns. The styles feature a rubberized structures that wrap around the wearer’s leg, ankle height for men and calf height for women.
Only 850 pairs of the five available styles were made. They will be available at Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London, and 10 Corso Como in Milan in July of this year.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
