Throughout my ACCE 120 - Materials and Processes course, I developed a leather textile manipulation that I adapted into a Birkenstock product.
I saw a gap in the market when it came to Birkenstock and other sandal company's shoes. Vintage sandal styles that have thick leather straps and unique cutouts are gaining popularity today, but Birkenstock doesn't have a sandal style that caters to that group of consumers. I observe that the same group of women that are interested in the vintage charm of older sandals are also interested in online outfit aesthetics like "coquette" and "balletcore".
Take a look at my mood board, inspiration, and process!
Here is a progression of my ideation sketches. I started by brainstorming how I wanted to fuse embroidery and quilting into leather. Once I had created the swatches that I liked, I used those to brainstorm products.
Above are some examples of the swatches I had, there I experiment with ribbon and making ruffles on leather. threading it through leather, and some collage quilting.
Below are images of my process and materials. I ordered Birkenstock footbeds and soles so I could make a convincing product mockup.
