This morning, I have been thinking about tattoos. I'm ready for number two, and I have a lot of ideas ranging from an Ikat style print to botanical drawings of carrots and text. I really hope to be able to afford to have my next tattoo designed and inked by Amanda Wachob here in NYC. Her work is beautiful and totally anachronistic in the world of tattoo art. Rather than cartoonish, it's elegant, complex, and artful. Anyway, this post is about shoes, not tattoos...While google image searching Ikat prints that might work as a tattoo design, I came across Osborn/Shoes, an independent cordwainer/design company run by Carla Venticinque-Osborn and Aaron Osborn in Greenpoint. (The shoes are produced in a workshop in Guatemala that Carla and Aaron own.) Osborn/Shoes are hot. The fact that they have taken such a responsible and committed approach to humane and sustainable production and considered design makes me swoon.
Osborn/Shoes describes their studio as:
...a working environment where fine art and commercial art are conceived, blended, expanded upon, and produced. Our inspiration is drawn from human relationships, the vibrancy of life within its conflict and resolve, and artisanal grit. We showcase an evolving line of products, and through the continuous collaboration with friends, economically disadvantaged artisans, creative entities, and with each other, we seek now, more than ever, to embody hope in design.
...And of course the shoes are really, really awesome. I'm particularly fond of these, which are not offered in a vegan version.
But, I may just buy these to support their efforts towards offering vegan shoes. (Rest assured that I sent them an e-mail asking if they had any plans to make more vegan offering in the future!)
I'm always excited to discover companies like Osborn/Shoes that are independent, artist run, efforts toward producing unique and sustainable products that are thoughtfully designed and interesting as opposed to mass-produced and generic.
I'll be sure to report back with their response to my query about vegan options!
* All images from the Osborn/Shoes website.
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