“I aim to create pieces that have strength and beauty, based around a concept which can be about a number of things – the body, the materials or a particular theme.”
– Chau Har Lee to Dazed Digital
I like clothes more than shoes. But when I come across footwear that’s fantastically spellbinding, I’m quick to want.
When it comes to what you wear, there shouldn’t be any borders; clothes, shoes or otherwise. Screw the conservative society! Many of the greatest fashion innovators – with the exception of US Vogue’s Anna Wintour, and Vogue Paris‘s Carine Roitfeld – made their mark in the world by being themselves, no matter how idiosyncratic it seemed. And that’s where London-based cobbler Chau Har Lee fits into my life.
Chau Har Lee is a 29-year-old shoe designer who obtained her long-winded education at UK’s most prestigious: Cordwainer College (London College of Fashion), Royal College of Art and Camberwell College of Art. She’s the recipient of multiple awards including the 2009 Manolo Blahnik prize and International Talent Support competition, she’s been featured in fashion magazines such as British Vogue, Nylon and i-D, and she’s worked with fashion powerhouses Burberry and Nicole Farhi early in her career. A fan for pushing the “shoe envelope,” Ms. Har used materials such as stainless steel, walnut wood, acrylic and leather to create architectural shoes you could envision completing Maison Martin Margiela’s runway collection.
There’s no word as to when we’ll be able to get our hands on a pair, but she says she’s currently working on her 2010 collection in her East London studio.
