My creative journey
The mop shoe! Coming to a store near you?
The creative journey is my Private Adventure, starting from the first moments of inspiration and ending with the shoes in my collection. The ideas that come to me, the things I find curious, the every day stuff that a designer thinks about – the things I love.
Old shoes: I can’t help myself when I see an interesting pair of old shoes. My sister-in-law has the funniest pair I’ve ever seen – slippers with shaggy cotton mop soles (left). You simply slide around the room cleaning the floor as you go!
I found the most beautiful pair of old shoes in Portobello market recently – they were over 100 years old and made in rural France. What I love about them is that they are entirely made of materials available locally, the upper is cut from the fur of a dead animal, and the lining from a man’s disused shirt. These are a true example of early 20th century recycling !! I think they are a work of art and definitely inspired me for my Summer 2012 collection.
Vagabonding: I don’t travel as much as I’d like so I choose to travel within the city I live. London is such a huge city of unknown delights. Unburdened by luggage and without a passport, I leave home without my phone, (which enrages my family ) and go exploring. Inevitably I end up in antique shops or markets, rummaging for that special something that will inspire me for my next collection. And of course, when I do get to go abroad, there’s a whole wealth of imagery to inspire me.
Colour: I am an anorak when it comes to colour. I could be likened to a train spotter or an E-Bay fanatic. It is a super indulgent passion and an ever-changing love affair. Once I spent a morning studying the colour of a eucalyptus leaf only to find that these studies paid off when I was asked to choose the colour of the façade for our house in Spain. I had the hues straight away – it’s all in a leaf!! Colour is always on my mind. Even everyday chores like walking my dog (who incidentally is called Blue!) can provide me with inspiration.
And last weekend I spent far too much time in an overheated basement learning all about the ancient art of Ikat making. Its beauty is in its haphazard technique. It looks like the litmus paper effect but in fact each colour is woven.
To see this result of all this inspiration, don’t forget to check out Penelope Chilver’s latest collection.
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