Summer reflections
As this project moves along and the release date is creeping up, I wanted to take this time to reflect a bit on this experience. Looking back through my photos, I found this picture of me lasting the final shoe which represents Chantelle’s story. This picture was taken at the workshops of London College of Fashion right before I flew home to Canada. Though I miss the buzz of the sanding machines, the plethora of creativity, and the after hours phone calls with Chantelle discussing our designs; I was looking forward to was going home to Canada. Even though I completed the shoe for the original launch date before lockdown, I have been thinking about the importance of the home throughout the whole summer.
Home is a place of comfort, where the air doesn’t smell foreign and where everything is always exactly where you left it. It’s a place of warmth even when the AC is blasting on the hottest days, or when the frigid winter freezes the pipes. In these past few months when the home has been the epicenter of our lives, I think about Chantelle’s experiences facing homelessness and eviction, I think about the fear she faced and the coldness of the unknown. I reflect upon the warmth Shelter brought her and the comfort a home brings. Just like a blanket, the home wraps us in security and warmth. The Chantelle shoe I created for this exhibit is made from buttery soft leather and wraps around the foot like a blanket; securing it and keeping it warm. Each part of the shoe is significant and tells Chantelle’s story. As the world continues to open, we must not forget the importance of a home and all the physical and emotional warmth it brings us.
Dan