Adriana Iurascu, 37
What do you do? Shoe Designer
Where are you from? Born in Romania, living in London for the last 10 years.
How did you hear about the competition? During my Masters degree at London College of Fashion.
What does your design mean to you? It’s a story of seduction. Enchanted, the naughty Calaveras carry you off into the night. I was inspired by the Mexican day of the dead. A celebration where life and death face each other, and the Calaveras as sardonic images of life. I can relate to this kind of humour…
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? Bold, fearless, irresistible.
Who would you most like to wear your design? Beyonce.
emiliasuflet.com
Benjamin Nusbaum, 22
What do you do? I’m a graphic designer.
Where are you from? I am from Annecy (France) but I live in Dijon (also France)!
How did you hear about the competition? On the colette blog.
What does your design mean to you? My design is the impact of a dirty drop of paint on an elegant shoe.
What was the i-Dea behind it? I wanted to design a shoe following my heart, a street side and an elegant side.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? Through its elegant taste and artisanal effect. My design is sexy, sassy and represents a women with many different facets.
Gilda Sancisi, 24
What do you do? I am an independent fashion and textile designer.
Where do you come from? Rimini, Italy
What does your design mean to you? To me, every woman has the right to stay on her own Pedestal!
What was the i-Dea behind it? I thought about a few different situations in a woman’s life; the first kiss on tiptoe, the seconds that feel like hours waiting for her man. There is the same illusion of feeling like you’re on a Pedestal.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? I always take great care of the details in my work and most of the time I use them to help my design flow harmonically with the space around it. This is the way I want to express the A.G style and that’s why I created a precious object to wear.
Who would you most like to wear your design? Kristen McMenamy.
Glenda Leanza, 20
What do you do? I study fashion design at the NABA New Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.
Where are you from? I was born in Sicily, specifically in Syracuse. I currently live in Milan.
How did you hear about the competition? Through Luca Belotti, Contests and Special Projects Director of Fashion Design NABA.
What does your design mean to you? The project for me was a challenge, because being in the second year of fashion design, I have never designed a shoe seriously, it’s almost always been for fun.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? It’s for a classic woman and reflects Guardiani style in its comfort, attention to detail and special features.
Who would you most like to wear your design? Well, sweetness is in every woman, and despite a lot of people taking care of their bodies, there’s always room for a little sinfulness and gluttony!
Lady San Pedro, 27, turning 28 on February 29th. Or technically speaking, turning 7 leap years old.
What do you do? I am an advertising creative.
Where are you from? I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines but will be moving to Barcelona in January 2012.
How did you hear about the competition? I came across Cinderthriller on i-donline.com
What does your design mean to you? Everything! There’s a lot of design potential coming from my country. It would be great for more of it to be showcased to the world.
What was the i-Dea behind it? The idea behind The Farfalla Shoe: spontaneity or being able to “wing it” can only come from a woman of intelligence and experience.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? It pairs strength with femininity and steps out of the conventional.
Who would you most like to wear your design? For her talent, achievement, as well as her strong yet subtle style: Cate Blanchett.
whatladylikes.com
Elijah Blaine Kinne, 20
What do you do? I am a student at the University of Northampton studying Fashion Design and Footwear.
Where are you from? The US ( Virginia, Florida, North Carolina) then I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. And then to London. And now I am in Northampton for my Uni years!
How did you hear about the competition? My teacher told me about it but I had heard of it through your website anyway.
What does your design mean to you? Everything. If I couldn’t design I wouldn’t live. I love expression.
What was the i-Dea behind your shoe? All of my i-Deas for my designs start with a shape or silhouette that I think will flatter the wearer’s body. We all know that sometimes shoes can look great on the shelf but terrible on the foot. I then experiment with ideas such as colour and texture. The last thing I do is constantly change the designs… I don’t like to think of them as finished because it helps me to refine them all the time.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? I hope that my style reflects the same things that I see in Mr. Guardiani’s shoes: Femininity, Style, Individuality, Innovation, and Passion.
elijahblaine.blogspot.com
Azadeh Zandi, 22
What do you do? I currently study fashion design and will graduate in January 2012. During my spare time I freelance, creating custom designs for my clients.
Where are you from? I was born and raised in Iran, but for the past 7 years I have resided in Dubai, where I currently live, study and work.
How did you hear about the competition? Since I am a fan of i-D’s Facebook page, I saw competition when it was posted online. I wanted to try something new and it seemed the right opportunity for me to explore a different avenue of fashion. Now that I am among the Top 10, I am so thrilled that the hard work has paid off and most importantly that my design has captured the attention of important people in the industry.
What was the i-Dea behind your shoe? I wanted to use an object that women relate to or use as an accessory. The idea behind the safety pin is to give women a sense of security, as the heel is one of the most important aspects of every shoe.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? It has always been important to me that when people see my designs they know it is my work. Just like Alberto Guardiani’s lipstick-shoe, I like to create something extraordinary. I wanted to design a shoe that was practical, but at the same time unique and something that people will remember, just like the lipstick-shoe.
Igor Dewe, 21
Parisian welder Igor Dewe is a creative chap with a penchant for a stiletto heel. He turned his torch on some tin cans for i-D and Alberto Guardiani.
What do you do? I am an apprentice welder…
Where are you from? I come from the suburbs of Paris, but I also lived in Spain for a while because my mother is Spanish.
How did you hear about the competition? A friend emailed me the link the evening the competition ended so I hurried to send some pictures of the shoes that I tinker…
What does your design mean to you? In my design I like the idea of mixing genders. I love wearing high heels but I’m a man and very feminine heels do not suit me. So I like to ‘masculanize’ my shoes by making them more geometric or stronger. I also like to make shoes with things I find…
igordewe.com
Alex Noble, 30
London based designer and artist Alex Noble, promising a vertiginous pair of platform i-D’s. Hands off!
What do you do? Fashion designer and Visual Artist
Where are you from? London London!
How did you hear about the competition? Whilst I was taking part in a showcase connected to the i-D NOW exhibition.
What does your design mean to you? It’s a surreal punk exploration, a nod back and a catapult forward.
What was the i-Dea behind it? The idea was to capture the mood of the era when I became so inspired by i-D, their beginnings and the creation of ‘straight up’ style of fashion photography.
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? I think this design lives outside the box, it’s powerful, sexual and non-conformist, as is Guardiani.
Who would you most like to wear your design? Angelica Houston.
allisalexnoble.com
Ana Cvejic, double Scorpio, 1980
Serbian Art Director Ana Cvejic taking women prisoners in her jail bird stilettos!
What do you do? Art Director in New Moment New Ideas Company Young & Rubicam, Belgrade.
Where do you come from? Belgrade, Serbia.
How did you hear about the competition? www.vogue.it
What does your design mean to you? Design, especially fashion, is my oxygen. It is the passion that pushes me forward and provides the opportunity for me to express myself without boundaries.
What was the i-Dea behind it? I had an i-Dea to illustrate how far the female passion for shoes goes. In some, way every woman is a little voluntary prisoner of fashion!
How does your design express the Alberto Guardiani style? It is artistic, highly stylish but functional and wearable, just like A.Guardiani style.
Who would you most like to wear your design? If you can run, create, dream, cook and flirt whilst wearing these shoes, then you are the right person for them… it must be love at first sight!
anacvejic.com
Fifth finalist coming soon…
