Chris Francis Exhibits at CAFAM

Chris Francis has been a very busy guy. Since we featured his incredible story last March, he has been buried away in his new East LA workshop, creating a mind-blowing collection of shoes for his inaugural exhibition at the Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles (CAFAM).

The concept for the show was to not only celebrate a special curation of Chris’ hand-made footwear, but also to situate him in the museum window, as artist in residence.

It took three guys and two weeks to set up what he affectionately describes as “organized chaos”.

Many of the exhibiting shoes have been made with found objects and raw materials; some are made entirely by hand, while others are made by hand and machine.

When asked about his experience and collaboration with the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Chris explains,

“It’s an honor to be here and to be shown in a museum, especially this museum. I love CAFAM; they back artists who wouldn’t necessarily get to show in other venues. It’s been a wonderful experience, creating the show and working with the museum.

I met a lot of fans at the opening night and the pre-show event, which is really cool; it’s fascinating to hear other people’s interpretations of the shoes.”

For the next three months, Chris will be working on location in his pop-up workshop on Wilshire Blvd,. Visible from the sidewalk, he will be creating a new collection for the Bay Area’s Richmond Art Center.

“I’m a fan of machinery, I’m inspired by machinery, and one section of the CAFAM show is actually mechanical; they are very functional. That will be some of the ground I’ll be covering while I’m here working in the window.”

Watch the Brilliant Collective interview to get the inside scoop on the show, and make your way down to CAFAM to see the magician at work!

To find out more visit CAFAM.ORG

Creative Direction & Writing: Jennie McGuirk

Photography: Betsy Winchell

Film : Jan Lim

With special thanks to the Craft And Folk Art Museum

Shoe Dogs and The Shoe That Grows

Photo Courtesy: Because International.

The Internet has recently been abuzz with the story of Because International's shoe that adjusts and expands with a growing foot.

The idea for The Shoe That Grows came to Founder and Executive Director Kenton Lee, on noticing the basic but alarming footwear issue while he was living and working in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007.

Photo Courtesy: Kenton Lee

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 300 million cases of severe illness are caused each year due to poor or no footwear.

After approaching many of the world's leading footwear manufacturers, Lee knocked on the door of the Portland-based company, Proof of Concept.

Headed by former Nike and Adidas exec Gary Pitman, Proof of Concept began in 2006 as a rapid prototyping service bureau for a range of industries. It soon became obvious however, that his 22 years of shoe experience, was an attractive draw to footwear companies that were looking to develop products.

The Proof of Concept team is now made up of footwear industry veterans with a collective 80+ years of experience; what sets them apart, is their ability to embrace the tools and thought processes involved in designing with cutting edge-technology.

“What makes us unique is the fact that we have been at the forefront of helping the industry identify and utilize cutting-edge product creation tools like 3D scanning, 3D computer modeling, rapid prototyping, and virtual visualization. Basically, we are “Shoe Dogs”, a term used for experienced shoe experts who are always looking for ways to use modern digital tools when creating new products.”

— www.yourproofofconcept.com/overview

Brainstorming with Lee, Pitman used a 3D printer to prototype at least 8 different variations of the design before they were happy with the product.

Armed with 100 pairs of the new invention, Lee tested the product in Africa before putting in an official order for 3,000 pairs at the end of last summer.

See how it works in the demo below and help the cause by getting involved