Shoes

By Abel Montserrat, Camper Designer

My love affair with footwear design began when I met one of the suppliers of the shoe store I owned at the time. He asked me to work for him as a shoe designer. Up until that point, I had only sketched ideas for clothing as I was studying fashion design. However, with practice and effort I also learned to sketch shoes, drawing was the only way I could explain what I’d imagined and turn it into something real.

When we were working on South, our goal was to come up with a cool summer shoe as unstructured as possible in order to achieve maximum flexibility and comfort.  The Kiowa construction, originated from the indigenous craftsmen of North America and Inuit people, provided us the characteristics we were looking for. This meant that we had to work with Kiowa experts, in order to achieve the best results, because this type of construction requires experienced professionals to do the stitching.

South was inspired by what we saw on the street. When beginning a new project, we always analyse what people are wearing out and about in order to create useful products. But we also take this inspiration and allowed ourselves to be guided by our intuition, our sense of smell and even our dreams. Sometimes you jump straight out of bed and start drawing and, at first, the sketch seems totally bizarre but later it ends up as something really fantastic.

We called it South because this type of shoe has its influence from the sailing world. Also, when we started out with the idea of creating this design, we wanted to use the four cardinal directions you need to navigate…this eventually led us to the name of the shoe.

When I’m designing, I draw shoes that appeal to me personally, and in the case of men’s footwear I always try to come up with something I would actually wear. I like South because of its authenticity. I think this use of traditional craftsmanship enhances the shoe´s value. It allows us to create something beautiful from the skill and knowledge that our ancestors have passed down to us. Perhaps that’s why I don’t really consider myself a designer; instead, I think of myself as a cobbler, because there are many different ways of making shoes and, knowing and understanding the various constructions, gives us real freedom when designing a shoe.

If you ask me how I’d wear these shoes, my answer would be without socks… and with trousers!!!! ;-)

Shoes

CHANTAL FOR WOMEN By Beatriz Delgado, Camper Designer.

The idea behind Chantal was to design a feminine product in line with the latest fashion trends.

Women are an important source of inspiration for me. The female essence is so rich and complex that it never fails to provide me with a springboard for my work, reflecting my personal need to express gender & sexuality. Basically, it’s always the same idea approached from different angles and given different twists each time: the desire to seduce.

Chantal? …I don’t recall exactly why I chose that name, although I do remember that I imagined them on Vanessa Chantal Paradis  and liked the idea, so I took her as my point of reference for the line.

When I imagine someone wearing my shoes, I usually envision them on naked or indistinct bodies. That way, the shoes take centre stage in an almost surreal way, giving me more freedom to work on them. Then I dress up those bodies as if they were paper dolls, mixing and matching at will, which allows me to create many variations of style.

Chantal was featured at the fashion show of the Spanish label “SoloLaVerdadEsSexy” during the 080 Barcelona Fashion Week. Something along those lines, I just love it.

Achieving an end result that faithfully reflects the designer’s idea is not easy. I like Chantal because everyone who worked on it truly cared about the project, and the end result is actually an improvement on the original idea. They are also very well-made from a technical standpoint, and it pleases me to know that whoever wears these shoes will feel good in them!

You can find Chantal shoes at Camper E-shop: http://cam.pr/chantal

PAU FOR MEN By Jumpei Ushiyama, Camper Designer.

When I started working on this model, the idea was to provide smart and elegant looking mens shoes with high comfort and performance.  At the time, I was thinking about young city living professionals who have very versatile lifestyles.  My aim was that someone could go to the office with these shoes but then go to a party straight after work wearing them. I love the way that everything is more casual now, particularly in offices where people dress down much more.

With its elegant slim last and soft leather uppers Pau looks like a classic brogue, but it features a rubber outsole instead which gives it a casual twist. This way Pau can be worn either with a suit or smart denim. It means that you can wear it for a wedding but also for casual occasions or going out on the town. Most importantly, I hope that the shoe is really comfortable for whatever you´re doing. The name of the shoe is from Paul Newman – “Pau” is Paul in Catalan.

Pau shoes are available at Camper E-shop: http://cam.pr/paushoes

Shoes

By Kenny Sanders, Camper Designer.

A while back, before the Volvo Ocean Race even started, we were heavily involved in designing sailing shoes for Emirates Team New Zealand. As a result, we decided it would also be great to develop a shoe for the team.

Following a visit to the CAMPER boat, we were inspired by how stripped back and minimal the whole space was. Everything had a reason for being there. It encouraged us to think about how we could apply the exact same philosophy to a shoe – to take things back to the bare bones of what you need. As a result, we set out to create our lightest shoe ever.

We selected lightweight upper textiles and microfibres and stripped things back to the bare essentials.

The attitude of the crew on the boat was also a huge inspiration. Although they are professional sportsmen working at the top of their game they still have this great laidback attitude and make time to have a laugh. A great combination!

The result was that we were able to combine a lot of new elements in one shoe; beautiful design, technical lightweight materials and an injected EVA midsole for support. All in all, we managed to achieve everything that we wanted without it feeling too complicated or forced.

We came up with the name Water Runner. It´s nice, it´s simple and it conjures up images of walking on water. I’m not saying that you’ll be able to run on water with these shoes but it could be a lot of fun trying!

The end result, I think, is a pretty versatile shoe which you can wear throughout the season and combine with different looks. Wear with a pair of jeans for an everyday casual look or, when the sun is shining, combine them with shorts for the ultimate summer sports styling.

Shoes

Camper presents, a limited collection in collaboration with the English brand, Swash.

This new line belongs to the Camper’s “Twins Artista” concept, a project that started in 1992 and shows the relationship between Camper and the worlds of art, design and fashion.

A new vision of Twins has been created now by Sarah Swash and Toshio Yamanaka, the founders of Swash. These two designers, who studied at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College in London, have as their hallmark hand-printed illustrations (hand-drawn by Toshio and hand-painted by Sarah) inspired by 19th century botanical drawings and the idea of creating a Swash’ Cabinet de Curiosités’ but translated into a world of surrealistic aesthetics that takes one back to childhood tales and stories.

The result of this new collaboration is a very feminine and romantic collection, with styles of different heights and full of classic details. Two different patterns have been developed for it. The first one presents nautical figures like traditional fisherman’s knots, anchors, compasses and diving helmets, that bring back, with nostalgia, a summer spirit from the past.

On the other hand, the second print recalls a dream and fantasy world through a kaleidoscope of multi-coloured balloons that come from studying depictions of early flying machines – “Dream Machines” – which were the ultimate sky ride and a utopian summer’s pastime in the early 19th century.

Like in all Twins, in this new collection each shoe has its own personality, but when part of a pair, they represent a scene which makes them indivisible.

A collection filled with creativity, imagination and fantasy that prove that there is a different way of walking.

You can find Twins by Swash at our online store.

Shoes

The weather is getting cooler and it’s that time of the year when we start to look for shoes and boots that keep us both warm and pretty. This season Camper offers you a Winter Collection with a range of models prepared for the coldest winters. The Winter collection includes:

Peu Pista, one of our most complete shoes to date: it offers great protection against cold weather and rainy days and the insole with 87 PU balls provides a soft cushioning effect.

Sirmiri, an excellent shoe for cold winter days. Thanks to its waterproof treatment it keeps your feet dry, and with its special thermal insulation on the inside it also provides warmth.

Pelotas Alpine is the newest style within the Pelotas family: an outdoor boot with iconic Ariel details but specifically designed to withstand even the coldest and rainiest days. It features waterproof leathers and membrane, and a gusset tongue to let your feet breathe. The rubber lugged outsole provides non-slip and high abrasion while the PU midsole ensures thermal insulation and lightweight.

Wabi boots. They are ideal for winter time. Their Vulcanised construction ensures flexibility. The Waterproof rubber bottom keep your feet dry while the wool insole keep your feet warm and cosy.

Wabi slipers. Why can’t you be trendy and warm at home?

If you want to see the complete winter collection click here.