Lavender squeezing shoe

Ahlam Kaysi

Handmade shoe, unique piece, made from beech wood carved using CNC technology, 2020.

The natural cotton shoelace is sized to allow the shoe to be adjusted to the width of the individual foot and to insert variable quantities of lavender to the shoe. The upper is made from sole leather, using wet molding technique, shaped on an anatomic last. Part of the design course ‘Transitions’ mentored by Eliora Lemmer Ginsburg.

The lavender plant is known for its natural medicinal properties. While walking with the shoe, the fresh lavender branches are placed in between the convexed insole and the concaved sole and are crushed by the weight of the body and the movement  while walking. As the natural oils are released, the wood takes in the oils that are then absorbed into the foot.

The pressure that life puts us through, especially in times of the Corona virus, have led me to this design thinking. A self-healing shoe, that is made with a personalised anatomic last, to insure a perfect and comfortable fit.

Material: beech wood, sole leather, textile and fresh lavender.

Photo by Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem.


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