Querencia, 2015

“These designs are inspired by the traditional Serbian shoes called “opanci”. During Amber’s stay in Belgrade she became fascinated by the tradition and the amount of manual labour that goes into producing this particular shoe. She further researched the history of the shoe, which turned out to be partially connected to Serbian identity. With the freedom to transform this heritage, she placed the traditionally flat shoe on a high heel, something that hadn’t been done before. This is right up Amber’s street as she enjoys researching the borders of cultural identity; by using this unexpected transformation of identity she questions the connotations liked to tradition. She respected the history by using the characteristics of the “opanci” shoe but transformed it into a new design with a new identity, with a strong wish to preserve and show the opanci tradition. The shoe has been developed with local shoemakers in Belgrade to establish the traditional knitting.”