[Sponsored Article] Tod’s concept of hybridisation continues to evolve unabated at its No_Code workshop with the latest version of the Shoeker and ventures into other contemporary lifestyle territories. The Shoeker 03 takes Seoul by storm Leading the most recent No_Code disruption in Seoul was No_Coder Yong Bae Seok, the European-based Korean industrial designer and creator of the Shoeker, a shoe and sneaker hybrid that embodies the No_Code philosophy of living outside the box, mixing tradition with innovation, and challenge and adventure. A ‘streamliner’ inspired by the heights of Italian car design, the high-tech performance Shoeker #01 and#02 that transcend stylistic codes have been embraced by experimenters and those not afraid to disrupt the conventional rules of fashion. The Asian launch party for the new Shoeker #03 held at the iconic Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza on May 23 celebrated the No_Code Evolution, highlighting the technology, craftsmanship and the progression of the Shoeker. Celebrities and disruptors, led by Korean heartthrob actors Lee Dong-Wook, Ju Ji-Hoon, Jung Yun-Ho, Taiwanese actor Jasper Liu, Chinese singer and dancer Ayunga and Japanese actor Ryohei Otani, got up close and personal with the finely-crafted, ultra-chic and super-ergonomic hybrid footwear that can take them from morning sport to evening cocktails. Shoeker on wheels Before the debut of the #03, the hybridisation of the Shoeker took a supercharged turn with a collaboration with Quadro Vehicles in a feat of Italian high quality meeting Swiss engineering precision. Unveiled at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show in March, the ‘Tailor Made’ Fully Electric Tod’s No_Code Qooder is an avant-garde four-wheeled urban mobility vehicle that is a hybrid of a car and motorcycle. Conceived to respond perfectly to daily mobility issues, the Qooder shares a like-minded way of design and innovation with No_Code, with both being unique creations displaying a similar philosophy and vision. The new customised version of the Qooder x Tod’s No_Code takes the best from the Shoeker's design and style, sharing colours and patterns. The matt black body with black leather seat and front handgrips is balanced out by white rims, while the rubber pads on the red passenger grab handle make a strong reference to the Shoeker’s heel. No_Code living The No_Code hybridisation concept spread from products to living in April with the No_Code Shelter: Stories of Contemporary Life installation at the Salone del Mobile Milano 2019. Created in partnership with internationally renowned architectural practice Studio Andrea Caputo, it explored the synergy between technology and craftsmanship, with the shelter theme signifying the merging between both of these worlds. Designed to disrupt traditional codes with a space that doesn’t follow a set pathway, the show let visitors wander at will through five prehistoric shelters ranging from a yurt on the Mongolian steppes to a hut in a West African village rendered in contemporary high tech materials. Inside each, they also viewed a video interview with different creatives such as Yong Bae Seok; Japanese art director and racing driver Mai Ikuzawa; Amsterdam-based Italian design duo Formafantasma and American car designer Chris Bangle discussing their own lifestyle and the result of choices they have made in reaction to periods of change.
