Dutch architect Rem D. Koolhaas (Rem D. Koolhaas is the nephew of better known architect Rem Koolhaas and distinguishes himself from his uncle with his middle initial) and English shoemaker Galahad JD Clark, (who is a seventh generation shoemaker from the Clarks family in Somerset) co-founded a shoe company called United Nude. “The products evolve in projects from international teams (United) in an open way with direct recognition (Nude).”
- The next video, the Dutch architect and creative director reveals how a broken heart led him from architecture to shoe design, and the story behind the name of his company, United Nude.
United Nude has grown into a worldwide team of creative minds. With studios in London (UK) and Guangzhou (China), the concept of the company was and still is to meld architectural design and unusual materials with product design, creating unusual but functional shoes. United Nude is part of a creative collective, functioning as a hub of interaction between architects, fashion designers, magazine editors and photographers.
The shoes designs or products by United Nude are about an architectural idea, an existing design object, like a chair. Really clear concepts, elegance and innovation. So every shoe tells its story.
Each single pair of shoes is a reinterpretation of an architectural object or represents an exploration of different materials and colours: the first shoe created by United Nude was called “Möbius” and it was inspired by the Barcelona chair created by Bauhaus director Mies Van Der Rohe for the International Exhibition in 1929. Conceptually, the shoe is a Möbius band where a single strip forms the sole, heel, foot-bed and upper.
Take for another example the heel of the 'Eamz' shoe, which makes direct reference to famous aluminum office chairs by Ray and Charles Eames, featuring pumps and sandals, even a tech sandal, that integrate the chair foot into the heel of the shoe, a feature that seems to suspend it in mid-air.
The “Stealth” is a dynamic platform shoe inspired by the straight lines and styling of the Stealth F117 Nighthawk fighter plane.
Since the Möbius shoe, United Nude has launched countless other products. The current Autumn/Winter collection for 2010 boasts twenty different styles of shoes in addition to the original launch product.
Today, the United Nude brand is sold in over 40 countries worldwide and United Nude has a booming retail business with flagship stores in Amsterdam, New York, and Shanghai as well as proprietary stores in London, Vienna, Tianjin, and two retail stores in Guangzhou.
