A Few Shoes [LIVE]

Ok, a lot of shoes

Hot Docs/Gabriel Li

Well! This was the first ever live taping of Articles of Interest! Honestly, I never thought it would be possible to just sit down and make a whole episode, but this was really a blast. Thank you so much to Hot Docs Podcast Festival for having us in Toronto!

Hot Docs/Gabriel Li

My guests are Elizabeth Semmelhack of the Bata Shoe Museum (yes, a museum entirely devoted to shoes) and Aurora James, the founder of Brother Vellies and a designer of- among other things- shoes.

This was a talk about different kinds of shoes from all over the world- and what they say about culture and what they say about us.

First we talked about the kamik, also known as a mukluk.

The ones on the left are for women, the ones on the right are for men. How can you tell? The grain of the seal fur. Also note- the polar bears on the men’s shoe. It’s amazing how those were made. (Image courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum)

Next, the Moroccan babouche. These were the first shoes Aurora decided to adapt.

On the left, some babouche from the 1980s. On the right, a royal pair from the mid 19th century. The heels are pressed down from the repeated act of removing the shoes five times a day to pray. (Image courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum)

On the left, the first babouche that Aurora ever designed, made of reused denim. Originally these were just for her to sell at flea markets, and she since went on to design many more varieties of babouche. (Image courtesy of Brother Vellies)

Then, Aurora’s company’s namesake- the South African vellie

Vellies, from the 1920s on the left and 1986 on the right. This is more or less the official shoe of South Africa. (Image courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum)

Some of Aurora’s vellies that she makes with South African workshops. It’s important for her to show that someone killed a real animal to make this shoe- hence the design choice on the right.

Then, the tire sandal. Which can be found all over the world.

Cambodian tire sandal, South African tire sandal- both from 1980. (Image courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum)

Aurora’s “tyre” sandal, made by artisans in Kenya.

The tire sandals being cut to different sizes. (Image courtesy of Brother Vellies)

Then huaraches- the classic sandal from Mexico.

Huaraches from 1956 and 2014- you can find these in almost any market in Mexico

The Brother Vellies huarache… which is significantly more expensive and worn by Megan Markle. We get into that.

And last but certainly not least, the cowboy boot.

Canadian cowboy boots, Mexican cowboy boots- both late 20th century

The Brother Vellies “Doodle Boot”- proudly (traditionally!) made in Mexico

And to learn more about all of these shoes, and to learn more about Aurora and Brother Vellies, check out her book Wildflower.

Hot Docs/Gabriel Li

And can I brag for a second? This was a true highlight of the Bata Shoe Museum archive:

Note how Ava Gardner’s sick loafers say “Ava Gardner.”

If you’d like to come to another live event- there are two coming up. A clothing swap in the Bay Area and a live panel in New York. Come by!

Other Articles Of Interest

• I got to model and do a writeup for Mr. Porter X Throwing Fits! They wouldn’t let me keep this suit but I really really really tried my hardest.

  

• I adore the knit shirts from Brigade.

• This spooky season, if you want to know why we call everything goth (Southern Gothic! American Gothic! Trad Goth! Mall Goth! Lolita Goth)- and why the aesthetic has nothing to do with the actual historical Goths, listen to this: