'A Rough Story Sweetly Told' (Autumn/Winter 2010) by Selam Yohans

After a recent completion of her MA course at the prestigious Cordwainers college mainly acknowledged for footwear icons such as Jimmy Choo, Patrix Cox, Georgina Goodman, Emma Hope and more, Selam Yohans launched her own brand of luxury footwear collection called ‘A Rough Story Sweetly Told’

‘A Rough Story Sweetly Told’ (Autumn/Winter 2010) is a bespoke collection made entirely by hand including the tricky braided seam detailing on the styles. The collection is produced for the luxury footwear market, and was inspired by the extreme custom of beauty that involves a great deal of pain.  There was a strong impetus for the designer to explore the beautification practices within her culture, particularly the pain and mindset at its core.

'A Rough Story Sweetly Told' (Autumn/Winter 2010) by Selam Yohans

The young luxury footwear designer pays particular attention to the self-inflicted pain and psychology that lies at the heart of beautification, as well as the materials, colours and symbolism it encapsulates.  Selam Yohans explained, “The Collection, ‘A Rough Story Sweetly Told’, probes into the complexity of beautification through the construction and silhouette of my shoe designs. With any beauty method that involves a degree of pain, the process is always complex and I wanted to convey that complexity predominantly through the shapes of my designs, both in the silhouette and surface details of the upper, thus producing an innovative and striking collection”.

The collection was handmade in London, employing her own new construction technique which involves the lasting of the heel in-between the lining and the upper and a braided seam, made of tiger wire and leather strips, acting as both a functional and aesthetic feature.

As well as working on her own brand Selam has in the past collaborated with Churches footwear, worked for Italian firm Pitti Capital, as well as undertaking extensive freelance work. She now specialises in ladies footwear design for the fashion conscious modern woman.

'A Rough Story Sweetly Told' (Autumn/Winter 2010) by Selam Yohans

'A Rough Story Sweetly Told' (Autumn/Winter 2010) by Selam Yohans

A Rough Story Sweetly Told' (Autumn/Winter 2010) by Selam Yohans

'A Rough Story Sweetly Told' (Autumn/Winter 2010) by Selam Yohans