ForEver, a Portuguese company owned by the Procalçado, held Footwear Talks with Dominic Ciambrone at its stand at Lineapelle Fair, the leading trade fair for leather and footwear components, which took place on the 23rd and 24th of September. Better known as The Shoe Surgeon, Ciambrone is one of the most influential figures in footwear design worldwide and has collaborated with ForEver for eight years.
In both sessions, which were moderated by Manuel Rivera, Dominic Ciambrone shared his unique vision of footwear, explained how he had built his creative ecosystem in the fields of design, media, and education, and detailed his collaborations with ForEver to date. There was also an opportunity for a creative interlude, during which Ciambrone guided the participants through an exercise in imagination, revealing new ways to explore creativity. In an interview with APICCAPS, the artist said that he "doesn’t believe design is the most important part of the process; functionality is”. He adds that "being unique is important, as is the shape the product acquires”.
Founded in 1973, Procalçado is a leading company in international markets, specialising in the creation, development and production of footwear components. The partnership with The Shoe Surgeon began eight years ago with an invitation to design a sneaker inspired by the Pizza Hut universe. João Ferraz, Creative Director of ForEver, highlights "the big challenge of completing a project in such a short timeframe, given the number of processes involved in producing a sole”.
Dominic Ciambrone told APICCAPS that the partnership with Forever "has been great”, emphasising "how good it is to have a company walking alongside you”. For the Shoe Surgeon, "the sole is one of the most important parts of a shoe because it keeps the feet grounded”. In this respect, collaborating with ForEver has been essential in "bringing new ideas to life that would not have been possible” with any other company in the US due to a lack of factories and high production costs.
In addition to the Pizza Hut project, ForEver collaborated with The Shoe Surgeon on projects with Netflix (developing sneakers for the cartoon programme Midnight Gospel), major alcoholic beverage brands such as Glenmorangie and Jack Daniel’s, and Can-Am, redesigning and customising motorcycles into sneakers. ForEver is also responsible for the soles of the Ciambrone Santa Rosa boot collection, which is close to Ciambrone’s heart.
From emancipation to creating a creative ecosystem
During the two conversations, Dominic Ciambrone talked about how his journey began. He has always enjoyed dressing well, and for him, school was not just a place to attend classes, but also a stage on which to showcase his style. In 1986, in his first year of secondary school, his cousin lent him a pair of Air Jordans. He recalls that it was at that moment that he truly connected with others and with himself. A few days later, he picked up an airbrush and customised a pair of all-white sneakers. After painting his first pair of shoes at the age of 15, all his friends wanted him to paint theirs too.
At the age of 18, he sought to learn more about shoes and, after being refused help to learn the trade, he got a job in a shoe store, where he began repairing bags, but soon started creating his first designs: he glued boot soles onto Vans. When he was 19, on his return from a trip to New York, he created The Shoe Surgeon. It was only at the age of 23 that he was given the opportunity to design shoes for the television programme Law and Order, and from then on, it didn’t take long for him to collaborate with major luxury brands, dress celebrities and design boots for Super Bowl players. The latter is considered by the artist to be one of the most special moments of his career.
Ciambrone believes that "each creative process is different and, for many, isn’t a straightforward path”. He says: "I’m not a sketching designer or a traditional designer. I didn’t learn at school; I learned by repairing shoes. Now, as creative director and founder, I have built an amazing team in my Los Angeles studio to help me realise my creative vision”.
Shoe Surgeon was the platform that helped raise his own profile, and for the designer, "building a sustainable name” is essential. Moving to Los Angeles had always been his dream, and ten years ago it came true when he opened his space, which includes an atelier as well as a basketball salon, a bar, a coffee area, and spaces for creation and training.
In fact, during his creative process, the ‘Surgeon’ felt that the time had come to start teaching. He started offering workshops and created an intensive course, teaching more than 10 thousand students. He believes that passing on knowledge boosts the next generation of designers and inspires others to create art. The designer told APICCAPS that "art is in all of us” and, with this creative system, he "aims to help people find their inner creativity”.
However, art is not always accessible to everyone. For Dominic, "whether you like it or not, social media is an effective way of disseminating art”. He argues that most of his followers "follow him to consume art”, even if they cannot afford to buy his shoes. This was also the reason that led him to teaching, so that he could encourage others to create accessible designs.
When confronted with the fact that other designers do not feel "inspired to teach due to the control of access to art”, Ciambrone confesses that teaching has made him humbler. "In the first course, I remember feeling that I was giving away knowledge that had taken me 20 years to acquire, even though I was charging students for it. No amount of money can compensate for the knowledge, the years, the stress, and the crazy days of panic spent trying to figure out what I was doing”. "But the truth is that I feel like a better human being, and teaching has helped me to see the bigger picture in life rather than just creating cool things and being the best at it”.
