Shoes Make the Man

Photos by Maciek Pozoga
Archival Images Courtesy of Igor Dewe

Igor hanging out in Montmartre, Paris, in his tin-can shoes and a bunch of fabric he found, topped off with a traditional Croatian vest.

Igor Dewe is just the sort of jollification injection the pouty, dour-faced fashion industry needs: a hairy 21-year-old French guy who gained notoriety by dressing in rainbow-tie-dyed Lycra shorts, heelless platform pumps, and a Turkish hat while sexily grooving his hips and soaping up the limos of stuck-up journalists as they arrived at Paris Fashion Week. Igor is a dancer, performer, fashion activist, and designer, and he makes the most original and insane footwear we’ve ever seen. We’re talking 16-inch platforms made out of fruit, tin cans, sand castles, candle wax, and leaves. Not only does he create the shoes with his own hands, he also crafts equally spectacular outfits and performance art pieces. For instance, he once hooked a fruit juicer up to his crotch and invited people to slurp the sweet goodness that dribbled out of an attached plastic hose. Of course, we had to speak with Igor for the betterment of those sad souls of the fashion industry—and the world at large.

VICE: Helllllloooooo, Igor. How do you come up with your crazy shoe ideas?
Igor Dewe: I don’t know. I just play around with whatever I find and work a lot with concepts. I started making shoes because I couldn’t afford to keep buying Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin shoes. I built my first pair out of a pallet of wood, and then I made a pair out of tin cans. My father has an atelier where he welds parts for airplanes. I use his equipment to make strong, architectural, and masculine shoes.

So you believe that men can wear heels and still look masculine?
Yes! Take orthopedic shoes, for example. They do wonders for people with deformed feet. I find the concept of those shoes interesting; you can’t tell where the foot is, so you can lengthen the silhouette without anyone knowing. I think that’s genius—that they enable you to change your body according to your desires. I would love to have super-tall and beautiful legs, but a pair of orthopedic shoes tailored for me would cost $6,000! So I make my own versions instead.

How, exactly, does one walk in 16-inch heels?
It’s actually pretty easy, but they can be heavy and sometimes I cut myself on them. I like how walking around in my shoes is a challenge. I’m not scared of falling over, I just walk out. Sometimes I have to go back home because blood is pouring all over me and I can’t walk.

Are your shoes for sale?
I don’t think I could sell them, as they are pretty fragile and they take ages to build.

If there’s no commercial gain, why put in all of this work?
When I see photos of my performances, I’m like, “Am I crazy? Why did I go there and do that?!” I guess I have this psychological need to perform and create. If I don’t challenge myself, if I don’t build the shoes I’ve sketched or make a performance and a video, I’m depressed and feel like a failure. It’s like an urge, a sexual drive. You don’t know what will happen when you’re performing on the streets, and that’s the adrenaline kick I’m after. It makes me feel alive.