Shoe crush: Kuula + Jylhä designs

Essi Kuula and Marika Jylhä are creating an innovative collection of shoe designs whilst continuing their studies at University. Having previously graduated with degrees in culture and arts, graphic design and visual studies the budding designers are now experimenting in the world of footwear design.

The designers use their work to find “different roads to walk, but always also respecting the traditions of well made objects”. Their most recent collection was called Until All I Felt Was My Heart Beating, which consisted of five pairs of shoes, that are handmade and are designed for the “modern hippies in the sprit of post- irony”. The playful shoes are made from material such as polished wood, Finnish birch and aspen. The designers share that their intention with the collection was to “combine the raw beauty of nature to the man-made but organic sculptural shapes”. Their previous collection Lighthearted was more bright and colourful as the name suggests, but both collections are recognisably their own.

Their fantastic designs push the boundaries of contemporary shoe design, and their shoes offer the buyer a one-off original design. We can only wonder what the designers will bring in their next collection, but we can be sure it will show us the “pure joy of design”.

Katie Marie Clarke

Follow the link here to be taken to the official website.