United Nude: Shoes With A Blueprint

In 2003 a Dutch architect from an architects family and an English shoemaker from a shoemakers family decided to start a brand. Disillusioned with fashion and not wanting to be yet another shoe brand or architecture firm, a design company was born – set on releasing specific, iconic products and rejecting broad seasonal ranges. The products evolve in projects from international teams (United) in an open way with direct recognition (Nude).


Above left; Rem D. Koolhaas and right, Galahad Clark

The company has several fabulous styles of shoes now and continues to grow in both styles and staff. It was originally co-founded by Rem D. Koolhaas (Rem D. Koolhaas is the nephew of better known architect Rem Koolhaas and distinguishes himself from his uncle with the middle inital) and English shoemaker Galahad JD Clark, who is a seventh generation shoe maker from the Clarks family in Somerset. Galahad took over the running of Terra Plana, an eco friendly shoe company, in 2003.

The concept of the company was and still is to meld architectural design and unusual materials with product design, creating unusual but functional shoes. United Nude is part of a creative collective, functioning as a hub of interaction between architects, fashion designers, magazine editors and photographers.

Each single pair of shoes is a reinterpretation of an architectural object or represents an exploration of different materials and colours: the first shoe created by United Nude was called “Möbius” and it was inspired by the Barcelona chair created by Bauhaus director Mies Van Der Rohe for the International Exposition in 1929. The uniqueness of this special sandal stood in the fact that it was characterized by a single strip that formed the sole, heel, foot-bed and upper of the shoe.


Above: the Barcelona chair as the inspiration for the Mobius shoe

Mobius
In the Ultra mobius, a single piece unites the sole, heel, footbed and upper, a revolutionary achievment in shoe construction and design.




The Mobius is also available in hi and mid heel heights as well as in other color leathers, below are a few examples.


Eamz


Ray and Charles Eames' famous aluminum office chairs inspired the “Eamz” series, featuring pumps and sandals, even a tech sandal, that integrate the chair foot into the heel of the shoe, a feature that seems to suspend it in mid-air.





Stealth


The “Stealth” is a dynamic platform shoe inspired by the straight lines and styling of the Stealth F117 Nighthawk fighter plane. It's available as a peep toe pump and as a sandal as well.



Porn
The Porn Toe and Porn Toe Buckle styles are made from molding the strongest plastics in the world so the floating foot bed can function and support all while appearing to defy gravity.



above: Porn toe in mirrored silver patent leather


Mono Jane
Molded from very lightweight EVA material, this shoe claims to be the world's lightest weight wedge and comes in tons of fun colors.



Mono also comes in a flat ballet slipper like version.

Cosmo
the Ultra Cosmo uses hand molded carbon fiber for the light weight construction, creating a high-technology piece of art with sex appeal.




The Cosmo Ultra has a heel height of 11 centimeters, and is limited to production of only a few hundred pairs.

Also new for Spring Summer 2009 are the No.2 and the Six strap styles.

No.2
The No.2 is made of a tech nylon heel and available in four bright patent leather colors or two striped elastic versions.



Six Strap
The Six Strap comes in four different elasticized variations, one in solid black and three striped variations.



To learn more, see prices or to purchase any of the above shoes shown, go here.

Be sure to see their other styles and other color variations at United Nude.

If shoes made with unusual and or eco-friendly materials interest you, be sure to check out

Melissa Shoes of Brazil here.


Don't miss this more recent post on United Nude's Spring and Summer releases:

Getting More From Your Kicks. Nat-2's Transformable Shoes

Talk about fashion innovation! Nat-2 makes shoes that transform into a second pair with the simple unzipping of a sole. From a loafer, quilted sneaker, canvas hi-top or other type of kicks to a flat slip-on sandal in one swift move. The tops are interchangeable as well so you can have multiple looks if you own several pairs.



But that's not all. They've also recently introduced the STACK (4 in 1), a pair of kicks that can transform into 4 different options, creating endless possibilities if you own multiple styles.



The Nat-2:


Made for men or women, the styles are varied, as are the materials. You can go 'flashy' with gold or silver leathers, semi-transparent styles or crazy colors. Or more understated, with black, denim, khaki or ivory canvas and a more simple silhouette.

A German-based company, Nat-2 has patented their 2 in 1 zipper function.

Part of their present collection:







And exciting new upcoming styles:






If 2 shoes in 1 aren't impressive enough, they've recently introduced 4 in 1! A shoe that comes with added pieces to give you four complete pairs in one.

The Nat-2 STACK:






See the video:
Nat-2 Official site
Headquarters:
Chiemingerstrasse 7, D-83339 Chieming-Stöttham, Germany
Tel:+49 8664 1782 Fax +49 8664 1728 Skype: sebthies
thies@kt-shoes.com

+ + + + + + +

Munich Showroom & Office
K&T GmbH c/o Charisma Trading GmbH
Zeppelinstrasse 11, D-85478 Garching-Hochbrück, Germany
Tel:+49 89 32443 67 Fax: +49 89 32443 68
Skype: sebthies
thies@kt-shoes.com

The AntiShoe, Inspired By Masai Tribesmen

In the early 1990s, Swiss engineer Karl Müller realized that both shoes and backaches are unknown to the Masai tribesmen - and that there is a causal connection between these two facts.



By walking barefoot on the natural, soft, uneven ground of their East African homeland, the Masai activate those muscles that atrophy when one walks on hard, even surfaces wearing conventional shoes.



With its special sole construction, the MBT (which stands for Masai Barefoot Technology), places the body in a natural instability which is being compensated by a balancing movement, i.e. through increased muscle activity. Stress on joints is relieved by activating the joint and stabilizing muscle groups. The result is an erect, natural and biomechanical correct gait.




MBT can help with back, hip, leg and foot problems as well with medical conditions regarding the muscles, ligaments and tendons.








The result is a huge selection of athletic shoes (over 60 different styles); casual shoes, sandals and work shoes for both men and women, very few of which are shown below:







For Medical Use:

Masai Barefoot Technology for medical applications: MBTs can contribute significantly to alleviating a variety of ailments, and many doctors and physiotherapists like to use them to treat patient.

For Sports Use:

Masai Barefoot Technology is used in sports: many professional athletes rely on MBTs for regeneration, prevention and accelerated healing of injuries and in endurance and coordination training.

For Daily Use:

Masai Barefoot Technology in everyday use: train muscles, burn calories, protect joints ... while you're doing something else. Shopping, in the office, at home, MBTs act as training equipment, every step of the way.

Choose from many more styles and options here.