Agathe Pornin , design process

For her graduate collection “No Filming Please !”, Agathe Pornin decided to work on a return to anonymity. Her idea was to create shoes using classic archetypes but giving them a weird vibe, and most importantly footwear that explores the idea of modern camouflage. She took inspiration from what people wore on the streets and documented it with pictures. The colour palette was also taken from what she saw in the city, and the sad observation that most people hide behind “sad” colours such as grey, navy or black.

Documenting people’s footwear on in the subway was the first part of her process. Her usual way of orking includes a lot of sketches as seen above. She explored the idea of modern camouflage first through clothes, and how those can merge with the shoes or even hide them. She then took this idea further by imagining melting shoes, where the item itself is hidden by the leather upper. Finally she wanted to work on the zipper and how it can help hide or show certain parts, for instance the heel or even the sole of the shoe.

After the design part, Agathe started experimenting and making her collection. She upcycled all the fabrics ,using pantsuits or denim when needed, to bring authenticity to the project, so that the shoes were really made with the clothes. She also worked with paper to try and create strange volumes like the ones of the heels. Another important part of the process was trying the finished prototypes to alter them and balance the overall design.

This is Agathe’s collection plan. She managed to make 6 out of the 9 pairs of shoes, and the 7th was made by the CTC in Lyon, France, due to a partnership with the Institute Français de la Mode. The majority of the shoes are made in leather, but the idea is that the third line, “Hemmed”, includes shoes made in up cycled fabric, with the option of making some pairs in leather with fabric finishes.