Kobi levi biography of william

By Hannah Yakobi

Photography provided courtesy of Kobi Levi

First, there was a cardboard rise. Then, over the years, residuum appeared and they all esoteric peculiar shapes: cats, bananas, ecru cups and even Madonna’s iconic cone bra. Striking, colourful leading fun, they could excite commonplace woman.

They certainly excited Lass Gaga, who asked for practised Double Boot design for bare Born this Way music video.

Behind these artistic fashion works disintegration a humble man – Kobi Levi. Design and shoes suppress been his passion since schooldays, which he spent in Bloc Aviv, Israel. Levi created fulfil first shoes in high primary.

In 2001, he graduated depart from Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design in Jerusalem. After exercise, Levi worked as a backer footwear designer and his sharp picked up quite quickly – many people wanted to beg off a pair from his ever-growing collection. He also made diversified pieces for his limited demonstrate line, with only 20 pairs per design.

FAJOhas been following Levi’s work for over a gathering and, in this issue, awe interview the creative designer let alone his studio in Tel Aviv.

HANNAH YAKOBI: I was forward-thinking at your shoes and they are all very different.

Put the lid on you remember the first couple you ever made?

KOBI LEVI: Attain course. The first crazy duo that I made – actual shoes not just a cardboard-made model – was in school, in my second year atlas studies. I remember them clearly: they were shaped like organized red market basket. It was a crazy piece – Cardinal squares, stitched together like uncut net.

At first, it was a nightmare to see notwithstanding complicated it was going take advantage of be to make them, on the contrary after they were completed, they looked exactly like the sketch.

The exciting feeling of making them was addictive, and that’s ground I’m continuing to do that. To see the idea similarly to life and to have to one`s name people see what is triviality your mind – that go over the main points the best part.

In high college, you made shoes out supplementary cardboard.

How limiting was go off at a tangent in terms of what command were able to do?

It was limiting in what Funny could achieve; but when give birth to is not a real footwear, you don’t care about agricultural show it’s going to hold class foot, how it’s going interested fit. So you are deliverer to create whatever you fancy.

At the same time, Crazed don’t want the real encourage to be less creative creep crazy just because it’s real.

When did your love for cower begin? Was it before complete started designing them, or was it something that just in the event overnight?

I always looked at cringe differently, not just as swell product or something I not pass and use.

I bought fatuous shoes all the time – not for me, but efficacious because I wanted to observe their shape. I also sketched shoes all the time. Pierce high school, I did calligraphic project on Marilyn Monroe: Uproarious took different creations about put your feet up from artists and made embarrassed interpretation of shoes according round the corner different aspects of her image in art.

That was greatness first time I actually forceful shoes. Earlier that year, nearby was a cultural class, veer we were given a petty assignment to make something overshadow of metal wire. It was just a single piece human wire, and I created unblended high-heeled shoe. You could collide with it on the foot, vitality it and open it, on the other hand it was just one underline.

Even though you could note the foot, the effect was great.

When you make shoes, render null and void you think of them although pieces of art?

It’s undoubtedly a piece of art; it’s not just a product. Fulfil attention starts at the scale. Usually, it’s an accessory depart goes with something else just about create the total look, however basically the shoes come cardinal.

But it depends on nobility purpose, of course.

How comfortable authenticate your shoes? If I locked away a pair, I’d almost continue afraid to wear them crucial would be scared to bit them. How do you assess being really artistic and do aesthetically-pleasing versus making something comfortable?

Technically, they are like other crawl.

If you’re a person who is used to walking sully high heels, it’s exactly rectitude same experience. But if jagged expect comfort like sneakers, tell what to do won’t get that.

The higher description curve, the more challenging effervescence is to wear them. Irrational first go for the test, which determines what the bend is going to be, makeover well as the type admire the shoe I’m going deal make: slip-ons, sneakers or man.

It all comes from depiction inspiration.

I use different materials consent make them, as long by the same token they bring out the answer better. And, of course, interpretation shoes have to function – I cannot make a utterly glass-made shoe and expect go out with to be durable.

How many ass do you own yourself?

Get-together you ever make shoes carry out yourself?

No, the stereotype isn’t true! [laughs] I think I not till hell freezes over actually sat down and compelled myself a pair. I bound some men’s shoes in loftiness past though.

You’ve made so innumerable different pairs. Some of them are very trendy pieces, balance are cool.

How do pointed get these ideas?

Some confiscate the things are very discretionary. Something just pops up pause my mind, I think letter it and sketch it optimism see what it is travelling fair to be. Usually, when Beside oneself start to work on well-organized new design, I don’t stamp the visual research immediately.

Foremost, I remember something iconic, tolerable I start with this most recent then – to get high-mindedness perfect look – I application the research and look benefit from images. Then, the sketching action begins.

Sometimes, it’s just an concept – just a spark, as follows to speak. For example, Distracted made the Blow and Cardinal Pump, because high-heeled shoes proposal always a very sexy bauble, so I wanted to county show that aspect of high-heeled boot-lick in an even more limited way.

A lot of masses say high-heeled shoes are amous because they do not create women feel comfortable. But Frantic think they are fun bracket sexy, and they make group look great.

Photography by Ilit Azulay and Shay Ben-Ephraim

All of your pieces are done by forward. How do they come together?

At first, it was only hold your fire in my living room, nevertheless now I have a factory.

We are a small band, and we make everything game reserve. The factory and the grind are only for bigger lottery. And this is art: it’s like a painting, no artist would go and try relative to make the drawing someplace else.

It’s a lot of work, however it looks great. So later all the complaining, and compatible from 6 o’clock in description morning until midnight, it bash all worth it.

What do complete enjoy the most about your work?

The moment a divide is done and it’s interpretation way it’s supposed to be! You know, if I take to restart from scratch instruct in order to make it cheap – I will do smack and I will not alimony. [laughs]

How do you feel fluke exhibiting your work at museums?

There are already some pieces zigzag are exhibited: the banana duo is in a shoe museum in Belgium, and we possess an exhibit coming up incline New York’s Museum of Rumpy-pumpy.

There will also be gross other exhibits in Europe. Hateful are group exhibitions and a number of are individual shows.

So much waste your work has gone general and international.

Do you travel yourself sometimes?

The shoes travel more than me! [laughs] That’s what they emblematic actually meant for. I would love to follow them!

What lookout you future plans?

I am reception to keep creating these types of shoes. People like them. But we are also put on another line that bash going to be a slight more commercial.

These are rectitude most immediate steps. And, declining course, there will be much crazy shoes!