The Memphis Collection, a Graduate works of Youngju Lee was influenced by the Memphis Movement, an Italian design trend in the 1960s. Memphis has produced a lot of unique and fun artworks such as furniture, using structural, geometric, and bold colours. In this collection, she devised shoes that can show her personality by using bold colours and unique structures. Also, noteworthy features of this collection are digital prints using paintings inspired by graphic artists who used a lot of primary colours, John Booth, and marble prints made of recycling plastic bottle lids.
A variety of unique designs were created either by designing with line tape on the last or by using a collage using Memphis artwork. The collage, which was created by printing the last and artworks on paper, and then directly cut and assembled them, made fun and various experiments possible, and unexpected shapes were created. Then, in a rough collage, she drew a line applied to the actual shoes design by giving a little variation. The work of Ettore Sottsass itself was also used and designed as a heel.
Under the influence of John Booth, stripes painted using oil pastel were digitally printed on canvas, and the fabric was used as the leg of the boot. The upper of both shoes, the leather strips were stitched together with blind stitches. Real leather was not used in the work, and it was replaced by ultra fabric, polyurethane, and microfibre. The boot's heel was made of resin using silicone moulding, and the plastic lid is recycled to become the lower part of the heel through wood moulding. The heel of the mules was made in the same way. When the melted plastic mass is lumped together and twisted, an unexpected marble print is created, which creates a different shape each time, so it has a unique charm.
These are the final collection pieces of Youngju Lee. Each shoe was made only half pair due to time restrictions, and was shot in front of Central Saint Martins and in the studio. The rest pairs will be made when production equipment is prepared. The most notable feature of this collection is the marble print made of recycled plastics, and the bottom of the mule is also attached as an outsole, hence, the bottom is a remarkable feature.
