Isaac Mizrahi’s Salmon Leather Shoes and Dress
posted by: freePOrnaoa in Eco Friendly Shoes on October 1st, 2009
I just went to the Cooper-Hewitt’s current exhibit, “Design for a Living World.” Not only was it incredible and inspiring, but I learned quite a few new things.
From the website: “Ten leading designers have been commissioned to develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials in order to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design.”
Would you ever guess the materials for your shoes could come from a place like this?
And from a process like this?
As far as I know, there was one and only one pair of shoes included in the exhibit. These lucky shoes were the innovative, talented (and highly funny, I think) Isaac Mizrahi sustainable Alaskan white salmon skin shoes show below. Sorry for the slightly blurry photo but I had to work with what I could get and enlarge from press shots since photo was not allowed.
Salmon skin, ladies!! SALMON. SKIN. I assume they de-smellified them!
Consumers don’t need the skins and so they just go to waste. Here’s a way for those beautiful skins to go to use. Mizrahi sent the skins to Paris to be attached to flat, round paillettes and then attached them to make this lovely dress.
Mizrahi said in the accompanying exhibit video that he found that because the salmon skin was already pretty and iridescent, his work was cut out for him.
Mizrahi also said that he didn’t believe sustainable fashion design could work by sacrificing any level of glamour. Point taken, point agreed with.
Also check out Ted Muehling’s lovely jewelry from Micronesia.
This is the debut venue of the exhibit, which closes in January of 2010 to travel to other cities. Do go to see it if you love the place where design and sustainability meet!
8 Comments
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September 21, 2010 at 7:18 pm, stuntmen said:
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October 02, 2009 at 1:52 pm, Gaelle said:
Where can I find those salmon skin shoes?
Gaelle
http://beinglovingdoing.wordpress.com/
October 02, 2009 at 1:51 pm, Gaelle said:
Love the dress. The asymmetry, the paillettes, the large bottom sleeves.
May you post a fuller pic with the collar?
Gaelle
October 02, 2009 at 9:28 am, Marta said:
Wow! That's fabulous, and totally crazy. I can't believe they used salmon skin!! I'm a vegetarian…well now pescatarian…and I always feel strange about wearing leather…maybe salmon skin could be my solution
I actually like the shoes!
October 02, 2009 at 3:35 am, galligator said:
Smaller skins would work in a patchwork effect of for smaller details: paillettes, sequins, bows, maryjane straps, contrast insets, covered buttons….there's a lot of places you could conceivably use smaller skins. Plus, finer stitches to use would likely mark these as high-end items since they would require handwork to use effectively. If marketed right, they could be a natural match for the handmade/luxury market.
October 01, 2009 at 7:33 pm, ashley said:
I work in Italy in product development for a major brand and we have had representatives of tanneries bring us beautiful skins of Taliapia! They are truly unique. I think to be confused with a snakeskin but the downfall is that the skins are very small!
October 01, 2009 at 6:53 am, galligator said:
I like the idea of sustainable fashion. Plastics really bother me because most are petroleum-based, which seems like a horrible use of a limited resource. At least salmon & leathers provide both food and fabric uses. I really feel that since I do eat meat, that it behooves me/us as consumers to find uses for as much of the animal as possible. Anything else is wasteful and disrespectful of the source animal. I suppose that is one of the reasons why I will wear cow/goat leather in shoes or gloves, but am not interested in owning things like exotic furs (though if I lived in an area with below-freezing weather, it would no longer be an issue of luxury).
I'm also very interested to see what happens with vegetable-based plastics that are now being produced – that could have so many potential uses.
October 01, 2009 at 4:58 am, All Women Stalker said:
That dress actually looks pretty good. Let's see more of sustainable (yet incredibly good) fashion.
-meream