20 Pairs of Shoes Designed to Be More Than Just Functional Objects

Shoes have always been designed to protect the feet while walking. But many designers see them as canvases for them to express their creativity on and create objects that go far beyond functional. And sometimes, some celebrities manage to wear these works of art at certain special events where they attract the attention of the press, museums, and general shoe design enthusiasts.

Bright Side collected pictures of shoes that stand out for their strange designs and found out who created them, what inspired them, and if any celebrities wore them at any point in their career.

1. Lady Gaga’s “double boots”

Lady Gaga bought a pair of double boots made by a designer named Kobi Levi who’s known for his clever shoe designs. The singer wore this footwear in 2011 after the release of her music video, “Born This Way,” which made her one of the first celebrities to wear Levi’s creations on her feet.

2. Blonde ambition heels, inspired by Madonna

Kobi Levi is not only a designer who creates shoes for celebrities, but he also makes designs that are inspired by them. And that’s how he created a pair of golden heels with blonde hair in ponytails and microphones, emulating the style that Madonna wore in the ’90s.

3. Bubble gum-shaped heels

Although it may look like a common shoe model, its unique feature is its heel that’s shaped like a piece of chewing gum stuck to the sole of the shoe. The man who designed the shoes, Kobi Levi, said he was inspired by those moments when you step on a piece of gum on the floor, immortalizing a situation that we all tend to get annoyed by.

4. Lady Gaga’s pearl platforms

When it comes to eye-catching fashion, Lady Gaga, with her bizarre outfits and footwear, is not to be missed. At a gala event, she dazzled onlookers in a pair of pearl-studded platform heels along with an outfit, hairstyle, and makeup look inspired by the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia (the first movie).

5. Kermit Tesoro’s Kraken design shoes

Another great designer of clever footwear is Kermit Tesoro, a man who often uses unconventional materials for each of his creations. Among them is the Kraken shoe, which features squid tentacles that surround the feet. His designs are often displayed in catalogs and museum exhibits.

6. Kermit Tesoro’s mushroom footwear

By way of social media, the designer, Kermit Tesoro, presented his latest creation, which consists of a shoe that resembles mushrooms. He himself confirmed that he wanted to combine his 2 great hobbies, which are footwear and mushrooms, thanks to which he managed to be mentioned in a fashion magazine for his great ingenuity.

7. Boots without heels

Alexander McQueen is a firm known for its innovative designs, among which are the high boots without heels. This is because this footwear simulates cow’s feet, so it also has horseshoes on the platform, which are adorned with hair and feathers.

8. A heel placed in another position

This footwear model was presented as part of the Alexander McQueen collection. In it, the models wore designs that imitated the queen bees. Among the colors used were red, yellow, and black. But the most striking feature of the shoe is the unusual placement of the small heel, which provides support while walking.

9. Armadillo footwear

The armadillo shoes were also designed by the Alexander McQueen firm. Their heels are 12 inches high and require whoever wears them to have excellent walking skills. In an auction of this collection, the singer, Lady Gaga, acquired some copies and paid a large sum of money to show them off in her music video for “Bad Romance.”

10. Closed boots with laces

Both the outfit and the boots of the Alexander McQueen brand reflect the products, culture, and traditions of England. They are made with fabrics from that country, which are generally used to create menswear.

11. Miranda Kerr’s footwear

Model Miranda Kerr caught the eyes of everyone at a gala event when she wore her white sandals with high heels that were tied with simple laces, a look that brought together both a casual and elegant style. These shoes were designed by Nicholas Kirkwood, who opted to add lace insets to match Kerr’s white dress.

12. Heel protectors

Although heels provide elegance when walking, they can also cause accidents and can be easily damaged. This is why heel protectors were created, and they have 2 functions: to make walking easier and to protect the heel. They’re ideal for those who like this kind of footwear but are reluctant to wear them due to lack of comfort.

13. Boots with pearls and studs

Here’s another collection from the Alexander McQueen brand that reflects the royalty of yesteryear along with the aesthetics of the golden salons of the Opéra Comique. Among the whole ensemble, which features combinations of black and white, were shoes that included pearl appliqués. But the ones that stood out most were those that were placed on black leather boots.

14. The fusion of shoes with pants

Created by a designer named Daryl van Wouw, this quirky piece that blends pants with Converse sneakers is a limited edition. It was once worn by Will Smith’s daughter, Willow Smith, who wore a pink and white model.

15. Aesthetic footwear by Lise Desmet

Lise Desmet is a shoe designer who combines shoe aesthetics with fashion based on her podiatry studies. This is how she created her Hogo footwear collection, which features an orthopedic structure to support the heel. This model is made of resin, wood, leather, and horsehair.

16. Beyoncé’s pink shoes

Beyoncé attracted attention at a sporting event for wearing pink and gold shoes that contrasted with her dark-colored outfit. The shoes were made of pink cotton candy suede with ankle-length straps and gold-colored heels.

17. Another heeled boot model

This pair of boots was made by a designer named Alain Quilici and was seen on the feet of singer Beyoncé during the time of her pregnancy. They’re adorned with laces and have a peculiar platform that joins the sole and the heel, which gives them an urban look.

18. Alien-style heels

These quirky high heels were inspired by the 1979 movie, Alien. They were created with 3D printed resin and their color variants range from matte white to shiny silver and light blue. This design reflects the combination of machines with biology and the human body.

19. Naomi Campbell’s footwear

Supermodel Naomi Campbell wore a head-to-toe black and red ensemble for an event hosted by Sky Living’s The Face TV show. It was there that she won the award for “TV Personality of the Year” and matched her style to the venue’s red carpet.

20. Stacked boots

These double boots were made by Luc Aarts who developed a love for shoes as a teenager, and after graduating from college, worked with several fashion brands. These shoes are his most recent creation and were handcrafted to be part of the Blue Days to be a Girl collection. Because of their design, they’re known as “stacked boots.”

Would you dare to wear any of these shoes? What models have you seen that caught your attention because of their design?