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# Léi Zǔ Shoe Collection
- URL: https://www.protein.xyz/lei-z-shoe-collection/
- Published: 2014-05-27T13:36:00.000Z
- Updated: 2016-06-16T10:20:10.000Z
- Description: The uppers of these shoes are created from thousands of hair-thin strands of silk, held together with a natural glue
- Author: Maks Fus Mickiewicz
- Tags: Seeds, Fashion, Art & Design, #protein, #Import 2024-06-11 13:25

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/10065/0303fb3d-bf9a-4a48-83ed-ffe5a89d5b94.jpg)

Shoes are put through a great degree of wear and tear, it's in the job description. So it's perhaps surprising that a duo of designers are trying to commercialise shoe uppers that are made from thousands of silk threads as thin as strands of human hair.  
[Nicole Goymann](http://nclothing.tumblr.com/?ref=protein.xyz) and [Christoph John](http://christophjohn.com/?ref=protein.xyz) wound together wet silk threads and used natural silk glue to hold them together, forming unique patterns and quasi-functional. They came about almost by accident. Silk threads kept sticking to Goymann's bobbin as she weaved - leading the two to wonder if the material could be used for other applications. Christoph John told *[Dezeen](http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/27/silk-threads-form-shoes-by-nicole-goymann-and-christoph-john/?ref=protein.xyz)* that by fusing the threads together and holding them in place by using a natural silk glue, sericin, the mesh of materials was strong enough to create structures resembling dishes, bowls and even a vase.  
Right now the [Léi Zǔ Shoe Collection](http://nclothing.tumblr.com/post/84416453341/the-lei-zu-shoe-collection-1st-edition-by-nicole?ref=protein.xyz) is just for show but the pair hope to see them marketable by the end of 2015\.   
Another unique approach to using silk was [Silk Pavilion](https://www.prote.in/en/feed/2013/06/silk-pavilion--3?ref=protein.xyz), which mixed organic and technological processes - coaxing thousands of silkworms into spinning intricate, beautiful patterns, all guided by computing.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/10065/d3f8d462-3b8d-45f8-8e1a-321064925fb7.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/10065/e3329ea5-0410-4f40-bad9-5f2ee8faa01e.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/10065/ae000380-f470-43d0-a2de-e29d8162aa18.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/10065/ebf7803a-038b-4026-ba85-2f5713b21b8f.jpg)