Amber Ambrose Aurèle

“Sweet things have a strange edge.”

I design for my muse who is courageous enough to be here true self; may that be a femme fatale or a femme fragile. My designs are constantly trying to define the contrast between femmes fatales and femme fragiles, traits all women posses in my belief. A woman is both sides; like light cannot exist without darkness, warmth without cold and good without evil. Contrast is purity.

As a designer I want to tell stories that astonish people, to make them look differently at the world in front of them and at the same time make them think about the concept my work beholds. My design process is both conceptual and an artistic expression. I question the status quo by altering or deconstructing it until a new meaning or shape comes to life – in this way I wish to provoke a dialogue with the spectator. In this I lean on two pillars; theme and form, where theme is caught in form, which together shift into design. Meaningful concepts are always used in my work, themes that I keep reoccurring to. Examples are contrast, metamorphosis cultural relations and differences, existingdefinitions and symbols concerning masculinity and femininity, the contrast between craftsmanship, technology and sustainable innovation in materials – heavily influenced with my personal creative fantasies.

In my work, the shoe is not approaced as a shoe but more as a sculpture. This sets off both the dialogue between art and fashion and the realtionship between the shoe and the human body. The designs under my label distinguish themselves by balancing on the edge of fashion and art. I actively look for these boundaries, questioning them; what is the current status of fashion and art? Where is the essence of both disciplines, what embodies the concept and when is something part of it? As a designer it’s very important to constantly renew and reshape yourself, assess your own abilities towards current societal needs and standards but also the discipline you’re trying to master through your work – this brings forth many valuable insights. First and foremost, to me at least, fashion is a product of a desgiiner bound to bodily shapes that has ideas concerning the relationship between the body and themes as idenity, self-image and people’s surroundings. Shoe desing does something similar, but takes it to the next level – no other garment has that much power to transform the posture and attitude of the wearer. A woman in sneakers is approached differently than a woman in stiletto heels but it is the same for a man. It is this performative aspect of the hee that fascinates me – more than any other garment it has become a sign of femininity. For me fashion and more specifically shoe design is a dialogue between our inside and our outside. You can transform who you are by wearing totally different shoes. That is why I think it is challenging to combine conventional materials or techniques with unconventional materials and shapes, resulting in collections that can be both fashion and art.

That is why the high heel itself is always very important in my work – a heel can be both vulnerable and powerful at the same time. With more seduction comes more instability, all to do with how the person wears them. I am intrigued with this duality. As a designer, I look for subjects which express both power & vulnerability, both elegance & sturdiness. For me shoes are a metaphor for power. My goal is to design collections in which you will feel powerful, sexy, confident and feminine.

in doing so I use a crossover of different media and techniques. I want to build a bridge between my love for art, fashion, the human body, cultures, craftsmanship and sustainable innovative techniques and materials. I want to offer critical reflection on our fashion industry by studying values as fair trade, sustainability, craftmanship and durability. My view is that as a desinger you are responsible for the designs you make. As a designer I am very aware of the fashion sysstem and want to treat my participation in it with respect and thought. Instead of launching collections every season I wish to focus on collections that are not designed with seasonality in mind: I wish to launch pieces that are of high quality, timeless, sustainable, stylish and artistic; pieces you would be proud to wear for their heritage, value and the way they have been developed.

In the end my work reflects fascination and appreciation for the sublime, the need to develop visual work that challenges both the eye and the mind of the spectator. I strive to archive the Florence Syndrome with my work: making mesmerizing work that goes straight through the heart and spirit, in my cases heavily supported with academic research whilst questioning, visualizing and creating the current status of art, fashion, design and the power that shoes hold.

Forever & Always

Amber Ambrose Aurèle

Please contact for further enquiries at:

info@amberambroseaurele.com