slides: #heelconcept: Trend Making Instagramers into Footwear Designers

Friday, February 13, 2015

Kemea Smith, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Photo Credit: @mandy_roos

Instagramers are making the heels of their dreams with everything from Sriracha sauce to medical gloves tagging it #heelconcept.

The hashtag trend was started by art designer Misty Pollen (handle @m.sty) who posted a photo back in December, of her arched foot on top of a mini bronze sculpture that she made.

Pollen recently told i-D that she believes the shoes are fashion instead of internet art because, “It's something completely immaterial, it's a formula for something that in no other context would be considered a shoe. So I think it makes sense as fashion, which has so much to do with styling and illusion.”

See #heelconcept Slideshow Below

Now over 600 #heelconcept photos have been posted on Instagram, making plain black stilettos look like unimaginative footwear.

Photos of crusty, polished or hairy feet in imaginary pizza, deodorant, and action figure heels is the new selfie of the internet.

What would Portland #heelconcept pics look like? We wouldn’t be surprised to see arched feet atop spilled coffee beans, organic veggies, bike chains, and people putting a bird on it.

Homepage Photo Credit: neo.minimal instagram