COSMONAUT
The design for this shoe came from a sketch that was stuck in my head for the longest time. It took a long time to finally get around to making the sketch a reality, and the design morphed a little during the transition from paper to concept.
The sketch above is what I used as the basis for the design. I refined this further through a few more subsequent sketches based off this, but you can see pretty much all the design features shown here made it into the final concept. I wanted to imagine what government-issued footwear would be like in a post-apocalyptic environment. Standardized footwear with multiple closures and locking systems that would secure the foot and seal it from the outside world. The idea revolved around the "directions" shown on the side of the shroud. This was printed on yellow ripstop.
Along with designing around the yellow ripstop, I wanted to use materials that I had on hand. The grey suede, white ripstop, red leather piping, and lining were all leftover materials I had. I was able to finish half of the construction of the upper before moving, at which point the project sat for a while. Once I got around to finishing, I had to tweak the pattern a little to get the shoe to fit properly. Unfortunately I don't have any shots of the pattern making process. The biggest issue was getting the yellow ripstop shroud to fit properly, and look good. Getting this pattern correct made lasting that much easier.
The sole was a really fun part of the shoe to make. I wanted the sole and the upper to be one cohesive design. Instead of two separate components, the upper interacts with the sole and the other way around. To make the midsole, I stacked EVA foam sheets and used a Dremel sander to "sculpt" it to the shape I wanted. I will say, the cleanup after that sanding session was not fun.
The rubber outsole was a little more complex. I took inspiration from David Raysse of Brandblack and his Wraptech collaboration with Vibram. I wanted to recreate that type of an outsole, so I made a paper mockup with the "legs" of the sole that go up the midsole, and in some cases, on to the upper. This included the outsole lace loop that goes up the vamp. After that it was a matter of cutting, gluing, and attaching the outsole.
With the sole on, and the laces in, the shoe is looking ready for government issue.
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This was one of the more fun concepts I've made and I'm very proud of it. It combines cool design, functionality, and technically difficult methods of manufacturing.