Schoen van donkerblauw suède, open model versierd met rood krokodillenleer en voorzien van gespsluiting c. 1930 - 1970

These open shoes, by A. van Goethem, are made from dark blue suede, with decorative details in red crocodile leather and buckle closures. The combination of materials here is key. Suede, with its soft, napped surface, suggests comfort and a less formal style, while the crocodile leather hints at luxury and exoticism. The making of these shoes likely involved a combination of handcraft and machine production. The cutting, stitching, and assembly of the leather components would have required skilled handwork, while the shaping and finishing of the soles and heels may have involved industrial processes. In their time, such shoes would have spoken to the rise of consumer culture. Combining everyday and exotic materials, they blur the lines between utility and aspirational desire. Considering the labor involved, it is also a design that represents a complex set of social relations, inviting us to look closely at the hidden stories of production and consumption.