Julia Veres (shoe designer, Amsterdam) is at home in the traditions of this craft. For her the separate parts of a shoe – the sole, the heel, the toecap – are shaped by the demands of function and construction. She has the gift of forming these elements into one clear whole and thereby creating a pedestal for the human body: a pedestal that determines the total silhouette. Both powerful in shape and delicate in material, her shoes exude a love of detail, modest and voluptuous. Devotion to technique and tradititon challanges her to equal old masters, the rebellious spirit provokes to discover and expand the limits of the concept. How far can you go before a shoe becomes unwearable? What material and construction changes can give a shoe 'personality'? Designing footwear is like walking a tightrope between usefulness and artistic freedom.
