Anqi Cao: Surrealism in Contemporary Footwear Design
Hector and Andromache (1921)
Giorgio de Chirico
Anqi Cao, a freelance shoe designer based in London and Beijing, believes that the relationship between art and fashion has always been complementary. Art has influenced fashion, and in turn, fashion has influenced art—which is why, Anqi, who is a fashion designer by training, has always looked to fine art for inspiration.
With her footwear, Anqi aims to strike a fine balance between functionality and sculptural creativity. She uses contemporary footwear technologies like CNC milling, digital printing, metal casting, leather embossing, and compression molding to navigate the infinite points of intersection between artistic creativity and functionality.
The inspiration for this collection comes from Hector and Andromache (1921), a surrealist masterpiece by Giorgio de Chirico that combined elements of the classical period with the sharp lines of the modern machinery.
No. 1 (2019)
Material: digitally printed vegetable leather, rubber, brass, wood
Purchase: Request price book at Anqicao@outlook.com
No. 2 (2019)
Material: digitally printed vegetable leather, zinc alloy (electroformed with gold and silver), wood
Purchase: Request price book at Anqicao@outlook.com
”The contemporary female is free, powerful, and sexy. I want to design shoes for these women.”
No. 3 (2019)
Material: digitally printed vegetable leather, brass (electroplated with gold), wood, rubber
Purchase: Request price book at Anqicao@outlook.com
No. 4 (2019)
Material: digitally printed vegetable leather, wood
Purchase: Request price book at Anqicao@outlook.com
No. 5 (2019)
Material: digitally printed vegetable leather, zinc alloy (electroformed with silver), brass (electroplated with silver), wood
Purchase: Request price book at Anqicao@outlook.com
This is a pair of women’s shoes with masculine temperaments. The black halves of the shoes are composed of tanned leather with the embossing textile of human skin to increase the sense of handwork; the white halves of the shoes reflect the feminine headdress of Andromache. The shape of the toe—blunt but rounded—is inspired by the shape of Hector and Andromache’s bodies.
No. 6 (2019)
Material: digitally printed vegetable leather, zinc alloy (electroformed with gold), brass, wood
Purchase: Request price book at Anqicao@outlook.com
Anqi Cao graduated from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Accessories Design, after which she experimented with different areas of interest spanning footwear, furniture, and home accessories design. After that, she decided that her true love was making shoes, which led her to the Master’s program in Footwear Design at the London College of Fashion. Now, she is a freelance shoemaker based in London and Beijing. You can follow her journey on her Instagram (@anky_kyky).