Cool Hunting

A perfect example of the strange and creative works that can come out of a collaboration between very different artists is the recent project by the filmmaker David Lynch and the shoe designer Christian Louboutin, both absolute masters of their medium. We discovered "Fetish" at Design Art London where these extraordinary shoes by Louboutin and their erotic photographic counterparts by Lynch were on show at the Pierre Passebon Gallery.

Many believe Louboutin's sexy red soles to be art forms in their own right, but he has taken this fetishistic view of footwear to a new extreme with this series that's more sculptural than wearable. Lynch, in his signature darkly twisted and sensual style, shot images of women bound into these sadomasochistic creations.

Louboutin says of the collaboration, "The models wore these unwearable shoes with natural grace. Their very white skin, very dark eyes and bright mouths melded with Lynch's aesthetics…As is his habit, David Lynch made it into a décor populated with shadows."

The reception of this project during its opening at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month was so rapturous that Lynch and Louboutin agreed to make five sets of shoes and five sets of prints for collectors to buy. The show continues at Galerie du Passage in Paris until 3 November 2007.

Also on Cool Hunting: David Lynch