Fang by Iris Van Herpen

“Fang” is the fifth highly successful collaboration between haute-couture prodigy Iris Van Herpen and the shoe-masters from United Nude. The ominous footwear, which has ten humongous teeth protruding from the sole of each shoe, was presented at Iris Van Herpen’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection in Paris- where the Dutch designer was (for the second time) an official guest of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. The collection once more bears a significant leitmotif for Van Herpen – the idea of nature and biology conveyed, however, in her signature high-tech style. The designer has as always experimented with 3D printing along with unconventional materials such as carbon fiber, Plexiglas and whalebone piping.
The fierce footgear from the collection perfectly compliments the outfits, and not only represents Van Herpen’s well-known taste for the avant-garde, but also her delicate take on aesthetic balance, by juxtaposing the eccentric wedge with a clean ankle boot that completes the design. The upper part comes in lace-up and zip-up version in various colors – white, beige, black and burgundy. The intricate fangs are crafted from fiberglass and carbon fiber through a slow molding process. There is no leak yet on whether the ferocious footwear will hit the market, but it will surely leave a bite-mark on the pages of shoe design.