Shoes of steel .. at Nehru Place Metro Station!
I am a shoe girl, like many other girls, so.. when I saw these shining steel looking life size shoes outside the Nehru Place metro station (Delhi, India), I had to write about it.
The installation showcases footwear of various kinds placed on a wooden block between two molecular geometric patterns. Different kinds of shoes includes high heeled court shoes, gum boots, three kinds of slip-ons (I don't know why this specific category has three in different sizes and colour, I would like to believe this is because most Indians wear such shoes..???!), open back sandals, tie-up shoe boots, rubber rain sandals (synonymous to crocs), classic brogues and high top trainers.
The mix of kinds of shoes used in the installation has just left me perplexed. Why is it that only a few specific types of shoes has been showcased?! Out of my observation and knowledge about fashion, I can say the following:
High heeled court shoes: a classic pair of heels, globally owned by many women to wear to office or party
Gum boots: these shoes are most commonly worn by the labour working on a construction site in India, however abroad they are quite a fashion craze and weather necessity!
Rubber slip-ons (synonymous to Hawai or Bata): we all have atleast one pair of such house slippers in India. Such footwear are also common amongst college going students in India. Nevertheless, these also fall in the category of beach sandals globally!
Open back sandals: I would imagine these are the most common kinds of footwear after the rubber slip ons, any average Indian woman would own!
Tie-up shoe boots: fashionable commodity not so commonly found in Indian wardrobes.
Rubber rain sandals: I think it was crocs who introduced these in India about 6 years ago and I did have a few friends who bought them, anyhow I haven't seen many fans for these!
Classic brogues: traditionally designed to be worn by men working in marshy lands of Ireland and Scotland, these have come a long way and are now a fashionable accessory for both men and women. However in India, I only know of stylish folks who wear them!
Hi-top trainers: these were a massive hit on the runways of SS12 and since then have been in vogue.
I can definitely say, these shoe categories do not correspond to a kind of lifestyle led by Indians, so what could possibly be the reason for exhibiting only these?
Also, I am not aware of many Indian shoe designers and so it makes me wonder why would Sunil Sethi's Design Alliance choose to have an installation with shoes? Perhaps, it could mean we have something new coming up for the Indian market. I am going to write to them and find out some answers, until then I hope you enjoy reading this.
The installation is called 'Transition' and is a property of the Sunil Sethi Design Alliance.
Posted by Rashi Verma on Aug 26 2013 at 18:18:55
