These shoes are definitely unique and original. Deimante, from Lithuania, is a young designer who brings out new ideas and an interesting point of view about fashion.
“Before starting create shoes, I was thinking about snail farming. I felt very tired after working in the communications field many years. I wanted to slow down my pace of life and snails looked like a very good option for these changes. Thanks to my husband, I woke up and realised that probably style and fashion are my bigger passions than farming. However, nowadays everyone wants to be ‘a designer’ without having any education, skills or even a good taste. Actually, I am one of them. But at a time I really needed changes. Comparing snails and fashion industries, the second option looked more creative. So with many doubts and without any education, I gave my ‘decision points’ to fashion.
Afterwards I was thinking pragmatically and again madly. ‘Which fashion product could have the most expensive and very specific manufacture?’, I was thinking. ‘Probably it’s footwear. Hence this industry still has niches for new shoes’, I answered to myself. So my final ‘points’ went to shoe making despite the fact that I have had no any background knowledge and skills, nor a rich daddy or husband who could acquire a footwear factory for me. But it seemed even more interesting challenge for me. Because everything is possible. You just need to be a crazy dreamer with very realistic efforts and lots of patience. I hope so.
Creating this collection I was thinking: ’Let’s create magical shoes from the most not-magical details. The details which would look like a spectacular pieces of artwork made from nonsense’. I thought and started filling out the list of the most ridiculous elements for shoes. My mother’s hand mirrors, grandpa’s wristwatches, Lego bricks from my childhood, playing cards from my rebellious teenage years and other things from my everyday life looked like perfect details for shoes. I mean shoes with real attached items and not some superficial decorations. Each of them had symbolic meaning. Shoes with wristwatches declared ‘Happy people don’t count time, they enjoy it’, Lego hearts said ‘Love yourself and others’, playing cards inspired ‘Be a gambler in your everyday adventures’, mirrors encourage ‘Who can make my dreams come true? Look down.’.
What inspires your creations? The first collection was inspired by my childhood’s sentiments. But I noticed it just later. I chose details absolutely random. After finishing collection I found that all these things were very sentimental attributes from my past. In those times we didn’t have computers or smart phones, we played with with real items such as my grandpa’s wristwatches, my mom’s hand mirror, playing cards, domino. Lego was my favorite game. I feel sentiments so far. The first collection was such bright and playful. Next collections will be more matured and talking about ‘meaningful fashion’ ideology. It’s very important topic for me which is missing in the current fashion.
What represents a good pair of shoes? I believe that shoes can be more than just good-looking accessories reflecting a person’s social status or good taste. They can declare a peculiar attitude towards life, values, desires, oddities, dreams, and sentiments. What is more, an extraordinary avant-garde design can make shoes a key element of an outfit, providing a meaningful statement.
What do you think about the fast fashion industry? I would like to say my position as an ex-consumer. Four years ago I was an absolute admirer of fast fashion. I could spend many hours in ASOS website searching for interesting clothes. I never cared about the most famous fashion brands and designer works. I just wanted to have my particular style and buy affordable clothes. Later I continued buying clothes, although my wardrobe was overfull. What is more, I usually used to wear only my favorite clothes. In total, it was seven. Fast fashion became my addiction. It’s like smoking. It doesn’t bring any benefit to your health, it waists your money, but you continue smoking cigarettes. And here only you can take decision to change your habits. Similar situation is with fast fashion. Customer has to change his behavior if we want changes in this industry.
What’s your next project? My first collection was very personal. Further I want to talk about more relevant global topics. Apparel and footwear industries are overfull of fluffy, shinning, sexy and funny fashion trends. Soon customers will be surfeited with it and will look for something more meaningful than just good looking trendy clothes and accessories. I think ‘meaningful fashion’ and ‘sustainable fashion’ products will become important long-term fashion trends in near future. ‘Milk2mouths’ shoes story began as the art project. The result was an evidence that with the help of an artisan’s gold-hands, majority of ordinary things can revive into conceptual shoes for everyday wearing. Now I believe that unexpected objects can become avant-garde symbols of the meaningful and sustainable fashion ideology.
http://www.milk2mouths.com
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