Bally, the designer footwear brand, is sponsoring the Le Corbusier exhibition which opens today at The Barbican in London. Their support of the show, which is the first major survey in London of the internationally renowned architect in more than 20 years, coincides with the launch of their first online store. Creative director Brian Atwood, who studied architecture before switching to shoe design said he finds similarities between the two disciplines: "You work to combine line, structure and material into something both breathtaking and functional. Just as the roof cannot cave in, the walls must stand, the heel cannot break and the wearer must be able to walk."
Bally has created two new designs to mark the exhibition and sponsorship: the Ilya skyscraper shoe (pictured) and the The Argus unisex bag - both of which Atwood said are "the embodiment of Le Corbusier's modernist style".
Le Corbusier - The Art of Architecture, 19 February-24 May 2009
Pictures: Christy Turlington in the spring/summer 2009 Bally advertising campaign; the Ilya shoe by Bally
