Jan Jansen’s Shoe

Jansen’s iconic bamboo shoe as both fashion item and art object

Dutch designer Jan Jansen (born 1941) has been turning heads with his baroque and experimental footwear for more than 40 years, and his work has been dubbed Dutch haute chaussure. Jansen made his international breakthrough in 1973 with his now world-famous bamboo shoe, an icon beloved by the fashion world and art lovers alike. In this comprehensively illustrated book, author Lisa Goudsmit looks at Jansen’s bamboo shoe both as fashion item and art object, relating the story of how this shoe design became iconic. The book also highlights other designs in Jan Jansen’s extensive and flamboyant oeuvre. In addition, Goudsmit examines Prada’s notorious 2005 copy of the bamboo shoe, which Jansen cynically dubbed an affectionate adoption. She investigates the possible impact of this copy on the image of both the shoe and of the designer. This is a book for shoe fetishists and lovers of Dutch design, fashion and art.