Kobi Levi's “Real World” Designs

There is such a thing as shoe art, and it spans much farther than your prized red patent Louboutins. Taking inspiration from many decidedly unfabulous elements of the real world, designer Kobi Levi has used these as the blueprint for his unique line of footwear. The epitome of tongue-in-cheek, freelance designer Kobi acknowledges that his creations usually end up as quite “humoristic with a unique point of view about footwear.”

One simply needs to see them to believe them. One of his latest designs, the “XXX Pump,” was aptly named. From the front, it looks like a perfectly respectable shoe, but from the back... oh my! Wear these, and any who follow behind you will be blushing. Similarly, “Blow” is a nude colored shoe with glossy red “lipstick” on the peep toe, and its heels are a pair of shapely legs. Kobi was obviously in a frisky mood when he made these, but his other designs have all of the same playfulness but with a whole different look.

“Dog,” “Miao,” “Market Trolley” and “Banana Slip-On” (there's no need in trying to explain them – with Kobi's designs, everything looks exactly how you think they will) are good examples of the kitsch factor present in many of his shoes. Optical illusions like “Double Boots” to how-do-you-wear-those “Rocking Chair” and “Tulip” will have you making the hard decision of whether to put them on your feet or on your mantle! Not all of his shoes are too wacky, though. Some are just new takes on old classics (“Androgyne,” “Two-gether” and “Twist”) and some are just downright cool and wearable that you have to wonder why no one's done this before. Notably, “Chewing Gum,” which looks like a run-of-the-mill oxford, but has a heel fashioned to look like a string of pink sticky chewing gum stuck to the sole.

Calling them “wearable scupltures” that are alive with or without the foot or body, all of Kobi's designs can be stared at in wonder at his website.