Evelina Reimagines the Naked Shoe Through Experimental Design

She emphasizes process over product

Emerging footwear designer Evelina has spent the past year refining her take on the naked shoe trend, pushing boundaries with sole-less constructions and unconventional materials. Based in Milan and trained at Polimoda, she’s exploring how fashion can challenge perceptions of wearability by blending art, function, and discomfort. Her recent collaboration with the brand AREA marks a significant step in her evolving practice, combining her conceptual approach with AREA’s avant-garde aesthetic. Her work sits at the intersection of utility and provocation, drawing inspiration from everything from Vibram’s minimalist footwear to Chanel’s experimental sandals. Evelina says she’s interested in objects that „shouldn’t be wearable but are,” using design to question what we consider practical. The naked shoe, stripped of traditional elements like uppers or cushioning, becomes a canvas for exploring tension between protection and exposure, comfort and statement.

She emphasizes process over product, often spending months testing prototypes on different surfaces to understand how the foot interacts with ground and design. How Does Collaboration Shape Her Creative Vision? Working with AREA allowed Evelina to translate her laboratory-like experiments into a wearable collection that retains her conceptual rigor. She describes the partnership as a dialogue, where AREA’s bold silhouettes met her fascination with foot anatomy and movement. The resulting pieces feature exaggerated straps, translucent soles, and asymmetrical forms that echo both ballet pointe shoes and industrial scaffolding. Evelina notes that the collaboration helped her scale her ideas without diluting their intensity, giving her access to new materials and production techniques while maintaining creative control. What Happens When Fashion Prioritizes Concept Over Comfort? For Evelina, discomfort isn’t a flaw—it’s a tool.

She believes that making wearers consciously feel their steps, or notice how

She believes that making wearers consciously feel their steps, or notice how their feet bend and shift, creates a deeper connection between body and garment. This philosophy challenges industry norms that prioritize all-day wearability, instead proposing moments of awareness as valuable in themselves. Critics have questioned whether such designs can move beyond niche appeal, but Evelina argues that influence often starts at the edges. She cites historical examples like the hobble heel or platform shoe as proof that extreme fashion can eventually reshape mainstream tastes. Frequently Asked Questions What inspired Evelina to focus on the naked shoe trend? She was drawn to how the trend strips footwear to its essence, allowing her to experiment with form, material, and the sensory experience of walking without traditional support or coverage. How does her Polimoda background influence her approach?

Her training emphasized conceptual development and technical experimentation, which she applies to footwear by treating each design as a research project into movement and perception. Is she planning to expand beyond footwear? While shoes remain her primary focus, Evelina has expressed interest in applying similar principles to other wearable objects, particularly those that interact closely with the body’s natural motions.