EXCIDIUM by Chris van Elzen

After launching his new shoe collection EXCIDIUM at FashionClash Festival 2014 Maastricht last month in a collaboration with fashion designer Judith van Vliet, this friday Juli 11th at 14.00 during the 21st edition of Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek Amsterdam, Chris van den Elzen’s fabulous shoes will be part of the vodafone FashionLAB show by Joelle Boers and Bregje Cox.


Hereby Chris van den Elzen proudly presents his new collection, a collaboration with fashiondesigner Judith van Vliet.

The EXCIDIUM shoe collection
EXCIDIUM, a latin word, an adjective, embracing the words destruction, demolition, overthrown, cataclasm, erosion, desolation.

A 3D printed woodpulp platform wedge with a calf leather upper and a acrylic/copper heel insert, a high-tech wedge with a handmade calf leather upper finalized with italian zippers. The collection consists of ankle booties, half booties and sandals, all in black and a soft grey with copper details.

INSPIRATION
Everywhere around us there are more and more empty buildings. They are abandoned. It often costs too much to restore them and are therefore demolished to make room for cold new projects without identity. These abandoned, derelict buildings bursting with ornaments. Overpowerd by nature influences. They live a life of their own. The layers of dust became layers of sand. Broken windows make room for the green to come inside and find its way. The object leads its own life and so it creates its unique nature, ‘time seems to stand still’.

The beauty of imperfection gives each object its own identity. The consequences of abandonment are becoming more severe as time passes. Architectural shapes become erratic and are increasingly being overpowerd by nature. Erosion, moss, fungi and oxidants adorn the walls, ceilings and floors. A world of new designs, textures and colors.

HIGH-TECH meets CRAFT
Together with technicians Pelser-Hartman (3D-scan) and Peggy Bannenberg (3D jewelry designer) van den Elzen started the high-tech part of the shoes, the platform. A perfect scan of the new lasts was required. Pelser-Hartman who normally scan architectural objects helped to optimize the design. Together with Peggy Bannenberg the 3D model was constructed and ready to print. The platform wedge is 3D printed with a new and fresh woodpulp material called woodfill (by colorFabb). The one piece platform is printed at ifabrica Amsterdam, a young and hightech workshop open to fresh ideas.

Photo’s by Fanny van Poppel.

More shoes by Chris van den Elzen and Judith van Vliet at the Virtual Shoe Museum.