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