Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3047215/tods-nocode-x-shoe-collection-looks-sports-car-and-designer Luxury
Tod’s No_Code X shoe collection looks like a sports car – and designer Yong Bae-seok knows why
No_Code is an experimental workshop set up by Tod’s in 2018 to reinterpret changes and trends. It has given rise to the shoeker – a mix between dress shoes and sneakers
Italian leather goods brand Tod’s just dropped its latest No_Code collection from Yong Bae-seok, the South Korean industrial designer who specialises in cars. The new collection, named No_Code X, is the fourth in the line and the first to carry its own label on the shoes. Photos: Tod’s
Italian leather goods brand Tod’s just dropped its latest No_Code collection from South Korean designer Yong Bae-seok. The new collection, named No_Code X, is the fourth in the line and the first collection to carry its own label on the shoes, a sign that the label might soon be spun off into an independent brand.
No_Code is an experimental workshop set up by Tod’s in 2018 to reinterpret changes in contemporary society and trends. It has given rise to the shoeker – a mix between dress shoes and sneakers. The idea to mix the formal look with athleisure was to accommodate client needs for shoes they could wear through the day and night, says Yong, an industrial designer who specialises in cars.
“We are always trying to make this hybrid thing between [a] formal, classical Italian shoe and a sneaker, but with elegance, with materials made by Tod’s leather, made by Tod’s. So we are trying to give to our client an item that could be very, very elegant even if it is informal, and this hybrid kind of idea is crossing between the two natures. And X is the meeting point also because we didn’t want to use a number four and we also like the graphic of the X,” is how Michele Lupi, Tod’s men’s collections visionary, explains the name of the new collection.
Tod’s No_Code X collection
The sole of the No_Code X collection has been raised at the sides and appears chunkier, although the shoes weigh 10 per cent less than their predecessors. In a nod to Yong’s background in car design, the shoe takes on an aerodynamic look from the side. Yong scooped out the front, and raised the back sole to achieve the look of a sports car. The mesh and leather shoes come in red, black and white.
“For these customers, we wanted to make something that could look formal but also very comfortable. So even when you’re wearing a really good outfit, you can still look classy while being comfortable,” says Yong, who credits iconic car designer Marcello Gandy as his inspiration.
For Yong, shoes fulfil the same function of getting you from “here to your destination” as a car, albeit at different speeds and in different ways. Asked to equate his latest collection to a car, the immediate response is a Porsche Cayenne.
“When you look at No-Code X from the side, the silhouette is very much like a car. I really believe that before anyone tries on a shoe or buys a pair of shoes, the shoes have to catch our eyes. People want to see a beautiful product, even shoes. No matter how someone explains how comfortable the shoes are, you won’t pick it up if it doesn’t catch your eye.”
The sole of the No_Code X collection has been raised at the sides and appears chunkier in a nod to Yong’s design background. But the shoes are lighter than their predecessors.
Yong, who has collaborated with other streetwear brands and has his own line of sneakers, says working with a strong Italian brand like Tod’s was one of reasons that attracted him to the No_Code project.
“Tod’s represents craftsmanship: from the leather they use to the finishing and the passion and skills of their people,” Yong adds.
Despite his belief in the aesthetics of his products, Yong’s technical training pushed him – and Tod’s master craftsmen – to go beyond that. “When I started the project, all I really wanted to know was where the material came from, so I kept pushing the suppliers to find lighter material, more flexible material. It wasn’t something that the older craftsmen were used to so they might try to convince me otherwise,” Yong says.
Designer Yong Bae-seok wanted to make shoes that were formal but comfortable.
“These days, a lot of brands are very confused because different parts of their products are made everywhere with the final assembly in Italy to give it the ‘Made in Italy’ label. With Tod’s, it’s 100 per cent Italian, even with the smallest suppliers.”
The freedom to source even the small parts from the best Italian suppliers has made a difference, says the designer. Yong’s persistence has paid off with No_Code’s mix of neoprene and leather for the earlier collections and now mesh and leather. He still pays homage to Tod’s iconic Gommino studs while reversing them to make the shoes lighter.
“I think this is how a luxury brand can show respect to its customers: to be transparent about how and where the shoes are actually made. As a customer, I don’t want to spend 800 euros on a pair of Italian shoes to find its materials are made in China, Vietnam or something. For me, the fundamental value of a true luxury brand is the quality. People want to spend their money, and we need to respect that with quality.”