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Sunday 19 February 2012

INTERVIEW| Raffaele Ascione Shoe Designer, Claire Davis


Vauxhall Fashion Scout caught up with Raffaele Ascione shoe designer, Claire Davis post-show to talk the duo’s history, updating a classic, and carrying through staple Ascione details.

VFS: Talk us through your discussions with Raffaele on this season’s shoe; how did you work together through the design process?
Claire Davis: For this season, [Raffaele] has been using lots of lace, so he wanted to work with a feminine shape; he really wanted to bring in "the point"- which is creeping back in right now- but we wanted to make it a point with a platform to give it that contemporary feel.

VFS: With regards to the lace-detailing; this is something we’ve seen Raffaele consistently carry through his collections. Was there a lot of emphasis on those kinds of details, or any specifications on how they should be integrated into the shoe designs?
CD: With the lace, we wanted to use the same intricate pieces used in his clothing and focus on incorporating them into the designs. We went on the same basis as last season with the rest of the details, with the wooden heel and wooden platform. He also wanted to focus on a black pair, and a burgundy pair [the main colours in his collection], but the black pair has flashes of blue that come through the lace details.

VFS: How did the collaboration come about? Were the two of you friends before choosing to work together, or is this a product of Raffaele’s sourcing of a certain skill-set, and aesthetic?
CD: We’ve known each other since I went to university with him- when I was eighteen, and I’m twenty-five now! We started working together last season, and we’ve been best friends for all those years, so it’s good to put something together and join forces.

Interview and photography by Sara McAlpine VFS Sub-Editor
Follow her @sara_mcalpine