Chic High Heel Pain Relief From A Vending Machine: Rollasoles & Afterheels

Put away those dancing shoes and go home in comfort!
High heel calf cramps and sore squished toes get relief in the form of a vending machine with Rollasole, a brilliant product with equally savvy marketing. Rollasoles and their eco-friendly counterpart, Afterheels, are comfortable and chic ballet slippers available for purchase from vending machines inside select UK nightclubs.



For approximately GBP 5 (approx $8.00 USD), you get a pair of wearable flats in their own little dufflebag that will relieve you of those 5 inch stilettos that you bravely donned at the beginning of the evening.





The brainchild of entrepreneur Matt Horan, whose business card reads "Sole Director", the classic ballet slippers sold out when tested in nightclubs and are now a hit in the UK. With this success, they plan on introducing more vending machines and intend to roll them out (pardon the pun) beyond the UK.





Rollasoles are available in three sizes; small, medium and large and come in four colors; black, metallic gold, metallic silver or metallic pink (which is presently not available in their online store):






Matt Horan, the inventor of these truly revolutionary shoes, says he came up with the idea in a moment of drunken epiphany and after growing sick of giving his petite girlfriend (who loves wearing high heels, that much is understood) piggyback rides on the way home from a nightclub. First, he realized he must make flats available to women in the wee hours of morning, when the party is still raging on but all ladies are this close to fainting from the pain their high heels are causing. Thus, the idea of installing vending machines in clubs came naturally.


above: inventor Matt Horan with his Rollasoles.



Rollasoles' identity, web design, packaging and branding by created by the talented folks at Magpie Studio.



Afterheels is their 100% natural and fully recyclable version of the Rollasoles. The body of the shoe is made from natural, sustainable materials which biodegrade in the same time as an oak leaf. The polyproylene (PP) insole is fully recyclable where local facilities allow.



The colors aren't as pretty and they aren't metallic, but at the moment they are asking consumers to vote on new colors as well as submit their own color choices for Afterheels via an interactive design module (whose screen shot is shown below) on their site:



The duffle bag is currently made from a low density polyethylene (LDPE) which is also recyclable where local facilities allow. They aim to start a returns scheme if there are no facilities near you, but they’re aiming to change this to an even more environmentally friendly material.

Genius.


all images and info courtesy of Rollasoles, Afterheels and Magpie Studios.

Visit Afterheels
Visit Rollasole

Visionaire 56 Solar: Let The Sun Shine

Visionaire Issue 56 has recently been published and this "solar" issue is like getting two books in one. Indoors, the board-bound book appears to be in a white embroidered slipcase with beautiful black and white photography and art. Expose it to the sun and the case, the embroidery and the images within the book transforms into color.




Contributing artists include Yoko Ono, John Baldessari, Ugo Rondinone, Inez Van Lambsweerde, Vinoodh Matadin, Mario Sorrenti, Roe Ethridge, M/M (Paris), Alex Katz, Richard Phillips, Olaf Breuning, Peter Lindbergh, Ryan McGinley, Richard Burbridge and Glen Luchford.

Here are some of the images in the issue as they appear indoors (left or above) and outdoors (right or below ):
















The book is limited to 3,000 issues. This collectible book as well as back issues of Visionaire can be purchased at Visionaire World.

But here's a tip, you can often find them cheaper here: Visionaire Issues at Amazon

Visionaire Publications is a company dedicated to creating beautiful artistic collaborations in limited editions. With three editions each year in limited numbers, they do sell out quickly.

Visionaire 55
Visionare 54
Visionaire 52 and 53

Artist Blaine Fontana Completes His 30 Limited Edition Nestkeepers.

above: 30 Limited Edition Nestkeeper Sculptures by artist Blaine Fontana

I'm a big fan of artist Blaine Fontana's work. His installations, his mixed media, his paintings and now these wonderful limited edition Nestkeepers. Thirty little imp-like sculptures each carefully painted in styles varying from japonesque designs to graffiti, exemplifying Blaine's vast styles and talents.


above: four profiles of the varied styles of Blaine Fontana's Nestkeepers.

It was in his 2006 show, The Manifest Soup Transcripts of Four Corners, (at the now closed Lineage Gallery in Philadelphia) that featured the first 8 of the 30 nestkeepers and he has just now completed them all.


above: the first 8 nestkeepers as they appeared at Lineage Gallery in 2006

The nestkeepers were inspired by this earlier painting of Blaine's:


Blaine sculpted the original prototype at which point fellow Otis Alum Daniel Garcia, then in the toy design department, applied his talents with the wax pen on the second casting and together they cast the finals.


above: the last 22 of the final 30 casts. The mold has since been destroyed.

The 30 nestkeepers are created from a solid silicon cast and then each 5" tall form is hand painted and adorned with unique elements, like twigs, nests, flowers, butterflies and even spray can tops.

Please click on the images below to enlarge and see the 30 beautiful nestkeepers.







UPDATE: The $800.00 nestkeepers have long since sold out. But visit Blaine Fontana's online store to see other original sculptures and art available for purchase.

Below are a few examples of the work of Blaine Fontana:





all images courtesy of the artist and society6


Blaine Fontana