Shoes are not just a mean of locomotion and  protection, they are also means of communication and an expression of custom and history. Shoes not only reflect social history, they are a personal record of our lives that evokes a time, a place, and emotions. As mementos of occasions on which they were worn, shoes preserve the past and keep memories alive, as those in a photo albums, from a child's first shoe immortalized in bronze to the wedding slippers kept in their original state

Psychologist have vigorously explored the hidden meaning of shoes from phallic symbols to secret vessels. Some say that a woman who collects shoes is a frustrated traveler; others suggest she is symbolically searching for enlightenment; in any case shoes have always fascinated men and women alike (for very different reasons). Shoes can be seen as sexual objects, objects of art,  objects of affection... shoes are a force for change, a means of shedding the past and buying into the future. For much of history women's shoes were kept in the dark, concealed beneath a skirt but, at the same time, they were and still are one of the most revealing signs of who the wearer is.

These are paper prototypes of what I call a "shoes wannabe", I don't actually know how to make real shoes, I have never been to a fashion design school or taken classes or an apprenticeship with any cobbler... I don't even know how this happened but I'm very happy that it did. Some of the photos in this gallery were taken by the talented Nike Digital Product Imaging team (Nike D.P.I.). Every "First Thursday" of the month I have some of my new designs on display in Northwest Portland and that's how I was approached by a designer from Nike and that's how I got these wonderful and creative photos.

I was trained as a Pastry Chef. I worked for many years in five star hotels in several countries but I always knew I wanted to do something different. Fashion had always been my secret love. I was raised in a very artistic family but becoming a Pastry Chef seemed more practical than creative. I have had a chance to travel and experience other cultures, but my passion for art and fashion more later than sooner caught up with me and here I'm making little paper shoes that I hope, some day will become real. The day that I see someone walking down the street on my shoes that will be The Day.

November - December 2005
Stuart Weitzman Boutique
Chicago, IL.

February - March, 2005
The Oscars
Stuart Weitzman at Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA.

November - December 2005
Stuart Weitzman Boutique
New York, NY

Summer 2003
De Medici-Ming Fine Paper
Seattle, WA

March 2003
Oblation Papers and Press
Pearl District, Portland, OR

First Thursday of the month
Pasta Works City Market
Northwest Portland, OR

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