the Fashion Spot - McQueen for PUMA

excerpt from wwd.com

Published: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 next

McQueen Puts Best Foot Forward
By Samantha Conti

LONDON — Alexander McQueen put his heart, his soul — and his own left foot —into his new collection of footwear for Puma. On Monday, the designer, a self-confessed sneaker junkie, revealed the details of his collection, right down to the veins, bones and tendons.
"I was inspired by the look of the foot, the muscles and skeletal structure," said McQueen
"Of course, because it's designed by me, there's also a sick and macabre twist to the designs," he added, with a laugh.
McQueen, who owns 450 pairs of sneakers, said the deal with Puma was not only a natural move, but also a means of building his brand on a more commercial level. The Alexander McQueen Puma line will launch in 200 to 250 stores worldwide in January, including McQueen's flagships in London, New York and Milan.
Prices for the line, which features 15 models, range from 180 euros, or $218 at current exchange, to 240 euros, or $290. The deal is not a license, but rather a long-term partnership.

"It's taught me that my creativity can stay at any level. It's made me a better designer, because I'm covering a whole other part of the market," said McQueen, who was dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, jeans and a pair of one of his new My Left Foot Bound sneakers for Puma.
The model features an imprint of McQueen's left foot inside the sole. The designer cast his own foot in a vacuum mold, and the impression has been suspended in a transparent rubber sole that's visible when the sneaker's turned over.
"Making it nearly killed me. It tore the hairs out of my legs," he admitted with a laugh. The laces of the shoe are woven through leather along the length of the shoe, in a direct reference to McQueen's dress designs.
Other marquee models in the collection include the NY Running Shoe Laser, an elegant model for women featuring delicate, laser-cut latticework on the last. The latticework — and the fine mesh underlay — is meant to mirror the maze of human veins.

The extended toe shape is a McQueen signature and carries over from his shoe collection. "It's inspired by the UFO show, and I wanted it to be modern and elegant, not clumpy. I wanted to do couture cutting for the foot," he said.
The men's Anatomical Low shoes have molded rubber "tendons" that stretch from heel to toe on the sole. There are also vein and skeletal details on the last.

Jonathan Akeroyd, ceo of Alexander McQueen, said the company would initially target top-tier, image-driven wholesale accounts. The line will eventually be distributed more widely. "Lee [McQueen] is keen that this be a commercial product — and a volume line," he said after the conference.

McQueen worked with photographer Nick Knight on the image for the new collection, which is known as ManCat, an eerie photo of a black creature that's half man, half beast. The ManCat tooth, a pointed, cat-like fang with a human root, is the logo for the new brand.