NOVA Shoe by Zaha Hadid

By Team IAnD

Photography: Courtesy United Nude

.

Quintessentially Hadid, the new NOVA Shoe designed by Zaha for United Nude is a revolutionary design that combines innovative materialization and ergonomic considerations with the dynamism of her unmistakable architectural language…

The beginning of July saw the iconic L’eclaireur store in Paris launch the new limited edition haute couture shoe designed by Zaha Hadid.

.

Zaha Hadid and United Nude’s Creative Director Rem D Koolhaas (not to be confused with his uncle, the renowned architect) have been talking about shoes since they first met years ago. Zaha, an architect with a passion for shoes, and Rem D, the original shoe architect, agreed to collaborate on the design with no pre-conceptions and ignored all the rules to create an entirely new form of shoe.

.

The NOVA design incorporates intricate striations juxtaposed with dramatic realignments, establishing a direct formal relationship with the shoe’s primary structure and expressing the dynamic forces applied by every step of the wearer. It conveys an inherent sense of movement; revealing the experimentation and invention of Zaha’s process through every stage of design and construction.

.

Guided by her 30 years of experience working with complex structural principles on all scale levels, Zaha has developed an innovative cantilevered system that allows the staggering 16cm (6.25 in) heel to appear completely unsupported. The rhythmic, articulated transformation of the shoe’s composition encapsulates the seamless integration of materials, inventive engineering and highest standards of comfort.

.

United Nude’s advanced shoe engineering has seen an entirely new way of shoe making for NOVA. Techniques such as injection and rotation moulding, as well as hand-moulded methods, such as vacuum casting, have been combined. In fact, the NOVA is the first shoe in history to employ rotation moulding, which is the only moulding technique that allows for such a smooth and seamless result.

.

The upper of the shoe combines metallic chromed vinyl rubber and is lined with the highest quality Italian kid nappa leathers. The hidden platform and heel are composed of fibreglass and the outsole is made of rubber. The shoe, in sizes 35 to 40, will come as numbered limited editions of 100 per colour and will be available only at very select stores such as L’eclaireur in Paris and both the Zaha Hadid Design and United Nude web shops.