In a corner of Gherardo Felloni’s Paris apartment is a 19th-century marble bust of Apollo that rests on a candy pink block of cement by Duccio Maria Gambi, a contemporary furniture and interior designer based in Florence. The juxtaposition amuses Felloni, who is the creative director of the famed French shoe and accessories label Roger Vivier, and encapsulates his aesthetic. “I am really attracted by contrasts,” says the 41-year-old. “Even in my personal life, I like to wear a white Brooks Brothers shirt, or an H&M T-shirt, with antique jewels.”
The creation that resulted from his crack at the “Make T Something” challenge, for which participants have one hour to create an object using a copy of The New York Times, a selection of craft supplies and a wild-card item of their choosing, is a case in point: A high-heeled shoe expertly fashioned out of newsprint, it sports a pointed toe encrusted with a crystal buckle, a Vivier signature. “I liked the mix of a recycled newspaper, something you read every day, combined with crystals that look like diamonds — a precious touch,” says Felloni, who is an avid collector of antique parures.
Felloni comes from a line of Italian shoemakers. He grew up in the Arezzo region of Tuscany, assisting at a family-owned factory, founded by his uncle, that manufactured shoes for brands including Hermès and Gucci. Naturally, he was tempted to rebel. “Every day of my life! One day I wanted to be an actor, then a singer, then an architect,” he says. “For me, shoes were easy, in my comfort zone.” He spent six years studying opera at a conservatory in Paris, and has designed interior schemes for friends in Italy, but he eventually realized shoes were in fact more than easy — they were his calling. After stints in the accessories departments at Miu Miu and John Galliano’s Christian Dior, he took over from Bruno Frisoni at Roger Vivier in 2018. “Today,” he says, “I do many things. There are business meetings, lots of logistics, but every time I’m in my office and I draw shoes, I feel happy.” Besides, he still sings “Una Furtiva Lagrima,” from the Italian opera “L’elisir d’Amore” (1832) by Gaetano Donizetti, in the shower, and spends his downtime working on the renovation of the Faro delle Vaccarecce lighthouse, which dates to 1830 and which he bought in 2015, on Tuscany’s Isola del Giglio.
The Link LonkMarch 25, 2021 at 01:17AM
https://ift.tt/3reoDtz
A Glamorous High-Heeled Shoe, Crafted From Newsprint - The New York Times
https://ift.tt/3ivRO87
High Heels
No comments:
Post a Comment