Zaha Hadid For Melissa

Melissa, the Brazilian footwear company renowned for its collections of impemeable and recyclable plastic shoes, found in Zaha Hadid, the visionary super star of contemporary architecture, the ideal partner to design a new limited edition shoe.

Zaha Hadid says: “I have 30 years of research on different areas of architecture and design and this was a very challenging project, not only in design, but on the technical side. And there was great synergy; I worked very closely with melissa to transform my design into reality”.

The melissa + Zaha Hadid shoe features round shapes, harmonised lines and symbiotic openings. Zaha Hadid continues: “The fluidity of our design combined perfectly with the technology of melissa’s plastic, injecting pieces without closures or seals”, and added that the inspiration came from fluid movements which accompany the body line of the shoe’s contour.

Available in 8 colours personally selected by the world-renowned designer, the shoe will be on sale from April 2009, and will be presented to the public on April 22nd, during the Salone del Mobile in Milan, with a cocktail reception at 10 Corso Como concept store from 6.00 through 9.00 p.m.

melissa + Zaha Hadid is just the latest collaboration in a roll-call of designers who include: Vivienne Westwood, Judy Blame, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Karim Rashid and the Campana Brothers among many others.

melissa staunchly adopts practices to guarantee the sustainability of all its materials, with all products created with maximum use during processes of plastic injection, and without shadows, even the smallest quantity of remaining plastic is recycled and reutilised in the injections, after undergoing the purification process. In harmony with the environment, all the solid and liquid residues of the materials are 100% neutralised and treated.

melissa is the top brand of Grendene, one of the world’s largest footwear manufacturers, founded in 1971, and is the holder of an exclusive technology for injected thermoplastic.

Internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid is a talented professional who has perfected the fusion of avant-garde and creative energy.
A graduate of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, she began her career after being invited to become an associate for the Office for Metroplitan Architecture by two of her former professors.
After two years, she began teaching at the AA, while developing her own brand of neo-modernist architecture.
In 1980, she started her own firm and went on to win many international competitions, theoretically influential and groundbreaking.
In 2004, she became the first woman to ever win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Her most recent projects include Chanel Mobile Art, and the London Aquatic Centre, which will be built just in time for the 2012 Olympics.
“Ms. Hadid’s forms look as fluid as mercury”, says The New York Times.

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