Concept

Many male icons across music and film have bent gender and glamorized the high heel as a proud wardrobe staple. Our intent was to design a high heeled boot with a strong attitude that held both masculine and feminine appeal.

Design

We started with inspiration from fashion houses who were already making contributions to this category: Margiela, Balenciaga, Dior and others. We zeroed in on our ideal heel height at 60-80mm.

Options

Two versions were designed: an ankle boot and a high boot. Both featured identical design elements: hidden zippers on the inside, Cuban heels with a leather stack aesthetic and metallic heel plates with space for engravit limited editions.

Colors

Black and white were chosen as the two hero colorways. We reserved vivid tonal color combinations for limited editions.

Design & strategy

From conception to sketches to brainstorming sessions, the project took nearly six months to develop. Shaun was deeply integrated within the vision and design process with United Nude’s shoe makers and designers. He made regular trips with stylist Roman Sipe to United Nude’s studio for fittings and utilized his global network to market shows and launches.

Launch party NYC

The final product debuted at its Lower East Side Manhattan launch party during NYFW. Alongside Shaun’s family and friends performed DJ duo Coco & Breezy. The collaborative project brought an incredible amount of press to the brand.

Seeding & press

Celebrities like Lil Nas, Sam Smith, Yves Mathieu and others added the heeled boots to their wardrobes. A long list of other influential figures promoted them across their social media platforms, including Shaun who brought worldwide attention to the collaboration. It received immense coverage across design and fashion media.