Shoes come in many shapes and sizes, but it's rare to come across a pair that evokes such emotions of excitement and curiosity, like those of freelance footwear designer, Kobi Levi. His blog, which he started with the intention of just sharing the designs with his friends, has become an overnight success, and has even led to Lady Gaga wearing his Double Boot design in the video for Born This Way.
Since graduating from Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design, Jerusalem, Levi has been developing this collection of extraordinary shoes, which are all about transferring daily objects into the shape of the shoe. 'In my artistic footwear designs, the shoe is my canvas.' Explains Levi. 'The trigger to create a new piece comes when an idea, a concept and/or an image comes to mind. The combination of the image and footwear creates a new hybrid and the design/concept comes to life. The piece is a wearable sculpture. It is "alive" with or without the foot. Most of the inspirations are out of the "shoe-world", and give the footwear an extreme transformation. The result is usually humorous with a unique point of view about footwear. Another aspect of the creation is the realisation. All the pieces are hand-made in my studio. The challenging technical development is the key to bringing the design to life in the best way.'
Levi's designs have been displayed in exhibitions around the world, including a recent exhibition at the SONS - Shoes Or No Shoes - Museum in Belgium.
