Botas no.001 & no.000:
Technical Materials and Contemporary Forms
Botas no.001:
Full grain leather, modal neoprene, spacer mesh, Nike Free Trail tooling
Botas no.000:
Unbleached canvas, muslin, linen, YKK zippers, Vibram Christy sole
These boots began as the desire to design a snug-fitting boot with characteristics of a trail running shoe. The original intended boot, Botas No.001, was meant to be an expression of my love for the 90’s-early 2000’s run of Nike ACG footwear. I wanted to interpret the ACG ethos through my approach of subtlety, uniformity, and restraint. No.000 developed from this initial design as a pared down design.
Exploring through sketching, I looked to design a form that was both sculptural and informed by the biomechanics of the foot. This meant considering how the ankle joint moves, how weight is dispersed over the metatarsals, and how material would stretch/compress during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.In the prototyping process, I found the canvas pattern test prototype beautiful. The unadorned canvas allowed both the pattern and the from of the last to stand out. I updated the No. 001 pattern, but also made a functional pattern based on the canvas prototype.
No. 001 is made of deadstock modal neoprene sourced from FABSCRAP, poly spacer mesh, and full grain leather on top of a reused Nike Free Trail tooling. Full grain leather covers high wear areas with a leather mudguard providing additional abrasion resistance. Neoprene panels cover the front and back of the boot throat allowing for unimpaired movement, while spacer mesh allows for airflow and structure. The internal liner allows for a mule-like fit.No. 000 is made of painter’s canvas, muslin, linen, YKK zippers, and a vibram sole. The sturdy canvas provides structure that highlights the last’s form, while the nimble sole and muslin toecap make the boots extremely lightweight. Exposed seams and contrast stitching was used as a nod to its origin as a prototype.