Featured Designer: There Goes The Neighbourhood

Sit down. Take a deep breath. If you've never run across these shoes before, you might not be prepared for the shock of delight about to pass through your clog registering neurons. Since 2005, Swedish designer Åsa Westlund has been fashioning what she calls "Traditional Swedish clogs, made modern." And clearly she's onto something. There's a freshness to her designs. The heels are in a category all their own. And the combination of colors and painted details will make these shoes stand out in any crowd. 

You know me. I've never seen a clog maker I haven't wanted to talk to about her work. So I tracked down Åsa via the e-mail address listed on her There Goes The Neighbourhood website and asked her to tell us more about herself. Happily she found time between making shoes and tending to her day job (doing print design work for H & M in Stockholm) to fill me in. 

 

As for why these stunning styles have such a whimsical name, Åsa explains that her original collection was inspired by the neighborhood she grew up in. As she put her various creations out there in the marketplace, she imagined "everyone leaving their homes to get out and hunt for a piece from my collection." All those design elements from her hometown and the various cultures and handicrafts native to the region were being broadcast into the world at large. It was very literally a case of "there goes the neighborhood."   

 

ECHID:  Your shoes are constructed on a very unique high heeled wood sole that I haven't seen anywhere else. How did you come up with that design?  

ÅW:  I designed the heel myself. To me it was important to get a nice slimmed wooden heel, made in one piece. It had to feel female and sensual, not too clumsy. Then I got help from a fantastic shoe maker in Italy, to make my designs come real.

 

 

ECHID:  Painted wood soles seem to be cropping up more and more in clog designs. Is that a new trend? (I love that you even have colored rubber on the bottom of the soles to match the uppers.)

ÅW:  I don’t know if it is a new trend, and I don’t really care… I have made high gloss painted heels from the start and I think it is a very nice contrast to the more natural shades of the upper leather parts. The coloured rubber is, of course, to give the shoe something a little more than the rest [of the brands]. I also love to play with colours, to match or mismatch with the upper to make an effective whole.

  

ECHID:  You offer shoes with hand painted leather designs. Is that a traditional Swedish art? We don't see many hand painted shoes in the U. S.  What inspired you to decorate your clogs that way?

ÅW:  The hand paintings are traditional art from Dalarna, tha part of Sweden where I'm from. It started with painters In the 1700s painting biblical motifs in people's houses and then became a common way to decorate normal wooden housegoods. I think paintings on wooden clogs has been seen since the '60s in Dalarna.

  

ECHID:  How did you get started making shoes? What was your inspiration?   


ÅW:  I usually just design things I would love to wear myself. I had just moved back to Sweden from Paris, France, and I just could not belive that there where no high heeled painted clogs around. Clogs have been a big thing (on and off) in Sweden since the '60s, but when I whanted them, it was very hard to find anything [other] than the traditional model in horrible plastic uppers and bad quality.

 

ECHID:  Are you a full time shoe maker? Or do you do anything else for a career? 

ÅW:  I am not a full time shoemaker/designer. I am working as a print designer for a big fashion label in Sweden, and my shoes are something I do on the side. I only do very small collections, and the buyer can be sure to be quite unique in her choice.

 

ECHID:  What makes your the most proud about your clogs? 


ÅW:  I love the colours and the beautiful fit and shapes. That’s what makes them special.

 

ECHID:  What's the best way for Americans to place an order for your clogs? I received a confirmation from the shop Svensk Slöjd that they could be contacted for overseas orders. Or is your own web site the best place to go?

ÅW:  I don’t really know. Yes, I think contacting Svensk Slöjd is a very good way.

 

Just to follow up: Svensk Slöjd is a shop in Stockholm whose name translates as Swedish Handicraft. Not surprisingly they specialize in hand made items such as the There Goes The Neighbourhood line. A few months back I did hear from one of their staff members, Anna Åhlin, who wrote to say she thought they'd be able to help with overseas orders. Since their site is entirely in Swedish, your best bet might be to contact the boutique directly via e-mail to find out what clogs they have available and in what sizes. You can find their full Kontakt page here.

________________________________

Late breaking news! Thanks to a comment from ECHID reader clogaholic, I can point you to another profile of Åsa Westlund at the Swedish design site fromsthlm.com. (It's the April 2010 post if you're linking to it down the road.) There you'll find a handful of There Goes The Neighbourhood styles on sale. I love this quote they got from her explaining her updated take on clogs: “I have learned to appreciate my heritage and I’m always excited to see what happens when you let the old and new collide.”  

Comments

[Kiki]

Okay, okay I am droooooling ! Wow :)

[clogaholic]

Currently you can purchase a few styles thru a US site:
http://www.fromsthlm.com/#

also Anthropoligie has one style available:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?subCategoryId=SHOES-HEELS-LADY&id=944604&catId=SHOES-HEELS&pushId=SHOES-HEELS&popId=SHOESBAGS&sortProperties=&navCount=1120&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=060&colorName=RED&isSubcategory=true&isProduct=true&isBigImage=&templateType=

[Lindsey Cochran]

Thanks for the links! I first spotted There Goes The Neighbourhood clogs online months ago, but it took awhile for Åsa and me to connect. I think her very modern styles are stunning, and I am glad to see she is getting attention on more than just my blog.

[Lindsey Cochran]

Ive updated the post itself to incorporate your input!

[Tea]

HOORAY! Thank you for posting this one. These are, of course, my ultimate dream shoes. I really do need to take a picture of my Hanna cone boots that I transformed via inspiration from these.

[Lindsey Cochran]

Thank you for the lead months ago! These are clogs with a look all their own.

[tiffany]

ECHID, what a great interview with Åsa!

I appreciate you mentioning www.fromsthlm.com, my shop for independent Swedish design where we're featuring Åsa's clogs for sale this month.

I hope you don't mind me linking back here to your interview. It makes it so much more special to get the perspective straight from the designer.

From clog lover to clog lover, thank you!

[Lindsey Cochran]

The more the merrier! Thanks for the link! Im thrilled to be able to tell my readers where they can order Åsas sweet designs.

[Lisa Bronaugh]

These are soooo cute!

[Lindsey Cochran]

Aren't they? At last report, Asa only has limited distribution in the U. S. Europe is a different matter.

[Annika Johnson]

Wow, maybe we can start wearing these at work!!! Love them!