Post by sparklingblue on Jan 31, 2004 12:17:36 GMT -5
Buyers snap up stingray shoes
By Jemima Laing
BBC News Online, Devon
It is often said you can tell a lot about a person from the shoes they wear.
What then do the stingray skin shoes created by a Devon-based shoe designer say about their new owners?
About 40 people have so far taken ownership of a pair of Oliver Sweeney's limited edition designer shoes, despite their hefty price tag and conservationists' concerns.
Mr Sweeney, who is the official supplier of formal footwear to the World Cup-winning England rugby team, crafted 100 pairs of the shoes, which went on sale just before Christmas.
They come in a range of 15 colours from neon pink to traditional black and cost £750 a pair.
But conservationists are worried about the use of the skins which are also utilised in the manufacture of luxury handbags.
They say the animals are slow growing, mature late and produce few young.
Ali Hood from the Shark Trust based at Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium, which promotes the study and management of sharks, skates and rays, said very little was known about the population size of the creatures.
Common dish
"Rays grow very slowly and mature very late and can be 10 or 11 before they produce a handful of young," she said.
"If you start taking rays, especially immature ones, out of the population it will have a significant impact down the line."
A spokesman for Oliver Sweeney said the skins used by the company are a by-product of the food industry in Asia where the fish is a common dish.
Mr Sweeney employs eight people at his Devon base, at Hennock near Newton Abbot, which is the creative heart of his business making designer shoes which adorn many a famous foot.
Celebrity wearers include Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Cullum, Will Smith, Jack Dee, Will Young and Gordon Ramsay.
Oliver Sweeney designed the stingray shoes with the help of Dylan Jones, the editor of men's style magazine GQ.
Statement shoes
Mr Sweeney said he settled on the pointed design because of the texture of the flat fish's skin.
"The skin's toughness meant that I couldn't design anything too complicated, like a brogue, so I decided on a simple, understated loafer," he said.
"These are statement shoes, slightly asymmetrical, with an overall shape that's slim and sharp.
"Because one thing I've learnt is that ambitious men wear pointier shoes. It's pure psychology."
***
Could those be these shoes he wears in LOA?
mitglied.lycos.de/pictureweb2002/newpics2/gala28082003.jpg
Just one thing puzzles me--if Pierce is always so concerned about the environment, why does he wear the shoes? Always assuming he really does.
By Jemima Laing
BBC News Online, Devon
It is often said you can tell a lot about a person from the shoes they wear.
What then do the stingray skin shoes created by a Devon-based shoe designer say about their new owners?
About 40 people have so far taken ownership of a pair of Oliver Sweeney's limited edition designer shoes, despite their hefty price tag and conservationists' concerns.
Mr Sweeney, who is the official supplier of formal footwear to the World Cup-winning England rugby team, crafted 100 pairs of the shoes, which went on sale just before Christmas.
They come in a range of 15 colours from neon pink to traditional black and cost £750 a pair.
But conservationists are worried about the use of the skins which are also utilised in the manufacture of luxury handbags.
They say the animals are slow growing, mature late and produce few young.
Ali Hood from the Shark Trust based at Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium, which promotes the study and management of sharks, skates and rays, said very little was known about the population size of the creatures.
Common dish
"Rays grow very slowly and mature very late and can be 10 or 11 before they produce a handful of young," she said.
"If you start taking rays, especially immature ones, out of the population it will have a significant impact down the line."
A spokesman for Oliver Sweeney said the skins used by the company are a by-product of the food industry in Asia where the fish is a common dish.
Mr Sweeney employs eight people at his Devon base, at Hennock near Newton Abbot, which is the creative heart of his business making designer shoes which adorn many a famous foot.
Celebrity wearers include Pierce Brosnan, Jamie Cullum, Will Smith, Jack Dee, Will Young and Gordon Ramsay.
Oliver Sweeney designed the stingray shoes with the help of Dylan Jones, the editor of men's style magazine GQ.
Statement shoes
Mr Sweeney said he settled on the pointed design because of the texture of the flat fish's skin.
"The skin's toughness meant that I couldn't design anything too complicated, like a brogue, so I decided on a simple, understated loafer," he said.
"These are statement shoes, slightly asymmetrical, with an overall shape that's slim and sharp.
"Because one thing I've learnt is that ambitious men wear pointier shoes. It's pure psychology."
***
Could those be these shoes he wears in LOA?
mitglied.lycos.de/pictureweb2002/newpics2/gala28082003.jpg
Just one thing puzzles me--if Pierce is always so concerned about the environment, why does he wear the shoes? Always assuming he really does.
