Here’s an antiquated fashion statement we’re ready to re-adopt and recycle: handmade footwear. Traditional cordwainers have largely been replaced by industrial manufacturers, but hand crafted shoes and boots are making a sure comeback and the results are fit for royalty.
Not only does the commission of a hand-crafted custom shoe allow you the freedom of input towards design and style, but the results are delicately tailored to your specific foot size to ensure a perfect fit.
Given the shifting cultural and political landscape towards ethical products and practices, opting for handmade footwear is a positive step towards achieving sustainability. Choosing a pair of handmade leather shoes allows the buyer knowledge of that product history – you could probably even find out what farm the leather originates from if you asked! Pounded and pressed leather soles eliminate the need for so much plastic (save for the heel, which can be replaced as you wear it down) and a well-made leather shoe should endure for decades. If leather isn’t your bag, many shoemakers can construct “vegan” footwear out of eco-friendly fabrics or other non-animal derived materials.
There’s nothing classier than personal tailoring from head to toe. Start from the bottom up and check out www.shoemakers.org.uk for a list of independent shoemakers, cordwainers and cobblers in the UK.
For The Men’s Book, published in Manchester UK by Ampers& Media Group
Rarely does one pass another on the street and, intrigued by a unique scent wafting through the city air, remark affectionately on the familiar fragrance of burnt rubber or cellulose. But quirky odours are key to the success of Comme des Garçons Parfums, and in many ways result in a more honest aromatic signature. Instead of conjuring up an arbitrary fragrance to represent certain intangibles like “love” or “passion,” CdG strives to duplicate the scents and emotions affiliated with concrete reference points, such as the Red series which captured the lifeblood of “carnation,” “rose,” and “saffron.” Comme des Garçons Parfums are anything but ordinary, straying far from notes bearing any similarity to common popular fragrances, an anti-establishment tendency that remains firmly in sync with their reputation in the fashion industry for avant-garde designs.
1994 saw the release of their first self-titled unisex fragrance, and in 1998 “Odeur 53″ tickled nostrils with 53 anti-perfume notes such as flaming rock, flash of metal, oxygen, washing drying in the wind, and sand dunes. The line has grown significantly since; the numbered fragrances consist of more masculine features such as dust on hot light bulb, ink, mahogany and leather, while the more unisex “Series” huddle beneath thematic umbrellas such as Incense, Synthetics, Leaves, and Sherbet. The newest addition to the CdG perfume house is “888,” which reflects the essence of gold with pepperwood, coriander, amber and geranium notes. Perfumer Antoine Lie of Givaudan fragrance producers worked with CdG perfume creative director Christian Astuguevieille to isolate a molecule of saffron called Safraline, a predominant component within this highly anticipated Spring 2008 fragrance. “888″ is as winsome as the element upon which it was inspired – pure gold, and yet another example of how Comme des Garçons doesn’t just push the envelope, they redefine the envelope and then question whether we even needed the damn thing to begin with.
For The Men’s Book, published in Manchester UK by Ampers& Media Group
Alas, my chapter for the Province Serial Thriller wasn’t selected for print…but it was fun to write nonetheless. I think more talk than action + possible police corruption = a flunk. I have to say I’m a little disappointed that all of the winners so far are older, white men – but that’s the thriller genre, I suppose. Hopefully some younger (and female) writers get their break before the competition is over!
If you’re interested in reading the series so far, go here. If you want to read the chapter I wrote, read on!
Continue reading ‘My Chapter 6′
One of my university papers, published in UVic’s Rabbit Review of Contemporary Cinema in April 2005. This was submitted for a writing class on the Dogme 95 Film movement.
Read here.
