Tribal theme with Robbie Fimmano’s photo as backdrop Photo/Foto: Koen de Wael

Contemporary shoe fashion shows the footprints of shoe traditions from all corners of the world: from tribal patterns and embroidery to extreme platform heels. A few of our favorite shoes in the tribal theme:

Alexander McQueen, spring-summer 2008, loan of the Honorary Daphne Guinness.

These Oriental shoes with double stilts, embroidery and tassels demonstrate Alexander McQueen’s eye for detail and craftsmanship. McQueen’s Spring-Summer 2008 collection ‘La dame bleue’ was a tribute to his best friend Isabella Blow, the eccentric British fashion icon and McQueen’s discoverer and muse. She died after a tragic suicide in 2007. The clothing collection referenced their shared passions, such as birds and feathers, Japonism, bondage and tweed.

Chinese Lotus shoes, 19th century. Embroided satin

Lotus shoes are footwear worn by Chinese women who had bound feet. The shoes were shaped to resemble lotus buds. They were delicately constructed from cotton or silk and were small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Some designs had heels of wedge-shaped soles. The shoes existed in different colors and styles and were decorated with embroidered animals or flower. Though foot binding is no longer practiced, many lotus shoes survive as artifacts in museums or private collections.

Guiseppe Zanotti, SS2012. Made out of suede and beads

Giuseppe Zanotti, renowned Italian shoe maker collaborated with Kanye West to create this pearl embroidered stilette for the Spring 2012 collection of Dw by Kanye West clothing line. The level of Giuseppe’s workmanship is clearly high, and the excessive amount of vanilla beads possesses a certain allure.

Walter Van Beirendonck, SS2008. Made out of wood.

For his spring summer 2008 Sex-clown collection, Walter Van Beirendonck created sixteen strong, self-conscious men proudly presenting their masculinity and body diversity. “Avatars have been fascinating to me since the mid-nineties” says Walter Van Beirendonck. “With the arrival of Second Life, avatars have finally found their own world, and the real world has become aware of their power.” The wooden clog in our tribal theme is one of the key items in the collection showcasing a true attention for details.

The shoes are all on display in Footprint – The Track of Shoes in Fashion!