For our final Project in Studio/Sem 2 in my first-year class, I had to present my wearable garment from bridge two and write a press release on it promoting our idea.
Press Release Sem:
Lux Jordan is proud to kick off 2017 with her interactive performance piece unveiling the layers and memorable aspects of fashion and self presentation. This piece, called: “A Mile in My Shoes”, is an extraordinarily personal piece, dealing with direct feelings, thoughts, and ideas from Lux’s experiences on moments in life.
Starting with an everyday average pair of navy high tops, Lux personalized and modified the shoes based strictly on her life, using the shoes as a sort of timeline representing and showcasing the people, emotions, and physical feelings of her life. One can learn and see glimpses of her life from the inside out with these shoes.
The video Lux created a sort of tension and detailed observation that furthers the experience. As the video plays we can see her interacting with the shoes and moments of her life that have lead to their creation. Cutting footage of her and others with footage of the shoes and their evolution from start to finish gives the audience a direct link to her creative process as well as her individual life.
The film created by Lux relies heavily upon symbolism and raw imagery to represent the transformation of oneself as time passes, as memories change and express, and as we physically grow and change.
In a one on one interview with the driven, young, designer, we learned about her extensive martial arts background and the physical effects training had on her body which directly translated into her film to set the scene, as the origin for the shoes.
The shoes initial redesign strategy was solely based upon easing her foot pain. After training and working as a karate teacher for 9.5 years the arches and tendons in Lux’s feet are falling and ripping causing her feet to hurt after long and extensive use, such as her on-foot adventures in New York City. The creation and addition of the custom made inserts physically shows and demonstrates the origin and idea behind this pair of shoes. This physical addition, however, blossomed into the intimate personalization piece the shoes are today.
One watching the motions and shifts of her naked and worn feet can feel the symbolism relating and eluding to one’s rebirth and vulnerable expression. The barefoot acts as a placeholder for the viewers to use as a tool to personally connect and relate to, one could call it an empathy bridge, as it acts as a means of deep personal reflection upon individual vulnerabilities.
These sneakers are an entire journey rather than a singular item of clothing, reflecting individual moments of Lux’s life vividly and clearly. One can argue our clothing, fashion, and style always does this. Showing snippets of our journeys and adventures through the wear and tear of the fibers. This belief is the driving force behind “a mile in my shoes”.
Final Video for Studio:
Video capturing the process and meaning behind my work through my research to the final piece.
