Irregular Choice shoes are a bit hard to find. Having only one U.S. location (in New York's Nolita neighbordhood) and two in England (one in London, one in Brighton), the shoes have become a bit of a coveted find for those of us who don't live in one of these three locations. That being said, shoe-enthusiasts should rejoice over the fact that Karmaloop has picked up some of the best of Irregular Choice's Spring/Summer 2011 collection.
The ten-year-old label is quickly becoming famous for combining kitschy English sensibilities with Japanese "Gothic Lolita" absurdity to deliver a fantastic blend of over-the-top footwear for both men and women. Irregular Choice's shoes are a hot, new kind of footwear that pushes typical notions of footwear to the next level. Irregular Choice shoes are truly works of art. Fit for the streets, the runway and any modern art museum, these shoes are exploding fashion editorials the world over.
Just to be clear, Irregular Choice is a label that is not for the faint at heart. Pulling influence from classic styles, street fashion, and any color, print, or texture the label can get its hands on, the newest line of Irregular Choice shoes exhibit some truly outrageous design choices that would make any fashionista giddy. Take for example the 'Raspberry Ripple Shoe' shown here in black with a little, three-dimensional raspberry sewn on to the sandal strap. How adorable is that? Footwear brands like Irregular Choice are really stepping up their game and beginning to crank out designs that belong more in MoMA than in clothing stores; shoe enthusiasts should be proud to snag one of these styles from Irregular Choice because they are so unique that it is doubtful they will ever saturate the marketplace in the way major, mass-produced competitor brands ever will. Irregular Choice is getting its footing in the fashion world, but the owner of a pair of Irregular Choice shoes should feel good to own something practically made just for them.
Another great example of a style that challenges the confines of the traditional "shoe" style is the 'Chica Chola' wedge sandal shown here in rainbow. The shoes play off an upcoming platform sandal trend, but Irregular Choice blows the competition out of the water by adding their own touch of brilliance to the monolithic wedges. Teetering at six-inches-high, the sandals have contrasting multi-color leather straps that make the kicks pop. From New York City to Tokyo, these shoes will turn heads, for sure.
With these two styles and the other styles in the Irregular Choice collection, there is a really cool feeling that the shoes will always be the focal point of the outfit. As someone who loves shoes and loves what a killer pair of shoes will do for an outfit, this is pretty exciting. Irregular Choice challenges their faithful fan club to figure out how to incorporate their pieces into an outfit successfully. The 'Duke Too' sandal, pictured here in 'Black Floral,' is clearly inspired by Asian embroidered flats with traditional garb, but it is hard to imagine these heeled sandals being anything close to their "traditional" counterpart. With a really subtle heel and a smooth design, these Irregular Choice shoes could be worked into an eastern-inspired outfit or could be the awesome pop at the bottom of a subtle, street-inspired get-up. These shoes could be worn with crazy tights that play off of the details in the shoes, or worn with head-to-toe black to make them really stand out. That is what is really special about Irregular Choice shoes. Each pair of Irregular Choice shoes has the ability to hold their own. They create an instantly unique outfit, and it is really exciting to see a radical label like this begin to get press. To reiterate, there are just three showrooms for Irregular Choice in the world, so it is awesome to see this label get picked up by a big e-tailer because it means the rest of us can get our hands on these works of art that much easier.
Selections from the current Irregular Choice collection are available at Karmaloop, and more are available at the label's website.
Absolutely Absurd Heels
Irregular Choice's Spring/Summer Collection Will Stun You
Trend Themes
1. Absurd Footwear Designs - There is a disruptive innovation opportunity to create bold and outrageous shoe designs that push the boundaries of traditional footwear.
2. Limited Distribution Models - There is a disruptive innovation opportunity to develop unique and coveted products by utilizing limited distribution models, like Irregular Choice's exclusive showrooms.
3. Incorporating Art Into Fashion - There is a disruptive innovation opportunity to combine art and fashion by creating footwear that is truly a work of art.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion Retail - There is a disruptive innovation opportunity for fashion retailers to curate and offer unique and eccentric shoe collections.
2. E-commerce - There is a disruptive innovation opportunity for e-commerce platforms to collaborate with niche fashion brands, offering exclusive access to their products.
3. Streetwear - There is a disruptive innovation opportunity for streetwear brands to incorporate bold and unconventional footwear designs into their collections.