These shoes actually can’t be worn: NIGHTFRUITI turns ballet flats into ceramics!
I want to take every single pair home!
Summary
- Korean ceramics studio NIGHTFRUITI transforms everyday fashion items like shoes and underwear into ceramic pieces.
- Its footwear series covers ballet flats, mules, heels and sandals, recreating details like lace, bows and heels in ceramic form.
- The “PANTIES PLATE” turns a pair of panties into a plate, delicately reproducing the gathered elastic, contrast piping and bow.
- By deliberately stripping these objects of their original function as clothing, the works draw attention back to the beauty of their silhouette, material and shape.
If shoes and underwear can’t be worn, what else can they be used for? Korean ceramic studio NIGHTFRUITI transforms familiar everyday fashion items into ceramic works. From ballet flats and high heels to underwear, each is recast in hard ceramic. Once their original function is removed, these familiar objects take on unexpected new uses.
Images from ig / @nightfruiti
At first glance, they look like exquisitely crafted shoes. Look closer, and you’ll find that they’re all made of ceramic. Ballet flats, mules, high heels, and sandals are transformed into ceramic works that retain the original silhouettes of each style. Even details such as lace ruffles, bows, studs, and prints are faithfully recreated, including the heels and soles. Without soft fabrics and leather, shoes originally made to be “worn” instead resemble individual sculptures. The designer also leaves this playful line: “Discover a brand-new pair of shoes and use it in your own way.”
Underwear you can’t wear, turned into a plate?
Images from ig / @nightfruiti
Beyond shoes, NIGHTFRUITI also turns underwear into a “PANTIES PLATE.” The fine gathers along the elastic waistband, contrast piping, and small bow at the center are all sculpted in clay before the piece is pressed into the form of a plate. Underwear once worn close to the body now holds desserts and dishes instead. The humorous contrast makes it hard not to take a second look.
When function disappears, the beauty of the object itself remains
Images from ig / @nightfruiti
What makes NIGHTFRUITI’s work interesting isn’t simply the way it turns everyday objects into ceramics, but how it rethinks the relationship between form and function. When shoes are no longer used for walking and underwear is no longer worn, we begin to notice the contours, folds, and embellishments that were easy to overlook before. As the studio puts it: “Once the original function disappears, the void it leaves is filled by form, which in turn calls forth new uses.” When familiar everyday objects take on a new material and lose their original function, they can be seen anew and take on new possibilities.
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