Designer finds comfort and style

http://news.massey.ac.nz

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Designer finds comfort and style

Tired of coming home from a night on the town with sore feet, design student Aimie Whiting decided to do something about it.

Point of Difference is the result – cushioned high-heeled shoes designed with comfort as well as style in mind.

Ms Whiting, who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Design degree at Massey’s Wellington campus, says there is an obvious need for the product.

“I’ve come home from many nights out dancing with excruciating pain in my feet,” she says. “These shoes provide comfort to women who want to wear fashion heels to work, go on to a bar for after-work drinks and then on dancing.”
The shoes provide cushioning for all parts of the foot, she says.

“They have a co-moulded heel using hard and soft polyurethane with bypassing shafts. There’s also metatarsal and heel padding. Basically, the heel compresses when you walk, reducing the feeling of bruising on the balls of your feet.”

Producing a prototype product was difficult.

“I had to make the shoes by hand, which was quite a challenge without the right tools. Luckily Kumfs in Auckland provided me with some leather and the shop I Work Miracles in Wellington let me use their tools.”

Ms Whiting, from Whangarei, now has a prototype and is working to commercialise her design, which can be applied to other shoe shapes and colours.

The shoes are being showcased at Exposure, a design exhibition celebrating the work of Massey University College of Creative Arts final-year design students. The exhibition is part of Blow08, an annual two-week arts festival hosted by Massey, which opened in Wellington at the weekend.

ENDS

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