Woven. Something we usually associate with fabrics, but the core meaning behind is the culmination of various elements or details connected into a whole. This is the essence behind my design.
Working with Pensole and Grove has offered a unique opportunity to create a design with meaning and purpose.
As I considered who the consumer was for this design, I remembered the top of Grove Hotel, Flora, and I imagined who would work there. A Portlander who wears nude and earthy colors with a few bright, contrasting ones. They would be social and active, consistently exploring the city and meeting new people.
I then considered the values behind Grove and its place that it will hold in this city. One of the ambitions of the hotel is to be a center of activity, all the while encouraging their guests to explore and connect with new people. One of the best visuals that matched with this was a Lattice: a structure typically used as support for climbing plants. Grove is the lattice, helping their guests to grow and expand their horizons.
Grove is an environment for social interaction and exploration. The view of the city from the rooftop allows for the servers to engage with the guests and share more about the city around them. Encouraging people to create connections with others. And what best connects us than the streets and transportation systems.
So I began to explore this lattice structure even more. I then remembered how important the streets of Portland were to the core values of Grove and pictured them as the lattice. When a guest asks an employee the meaning behind their shoe, they can literally show exactly where their hotel is on the map of the city.
The lattice structure on the shoe, laser cut, helps solve many of the problems with construction and comfort. The lattice structure also offers a unique opportunity for its wearer to run their laces creatively through the holes.
The materials help to ensure that these shoes will last. Treated Vegetable tanned leather creates the shell while a thin bootie made of breathable and water resistant ariaprene shows through the lattice.
A simple scheme of vegetable tan and Gum sole brown, contrasted with a dusty pink creates depth while remaining unobtrusive. I chose a gum sole due to the nature of restaurants as to avoid the sole dirtying easily.
Final Renderings
The lateral view of the show which contains the Portland street lattice. The is the Medial view, containing less latticing due to the nature of the medial side of the foot needing more support. The top view illustrates how the ariaprene bootie shows through the top and the tongue continues as leather. The Grove logo will be engraved or embossed into the tongue while the Pensole logo will reside on a tab on the back heal.
Gum Sole