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TB-2Footwear & materials

Project T / TABI

Project T reworks the split-toe shoe as an everyday product. A separate big-toe pocket, a slim sole and carefully placed panels define the silhouette.

Year
2010
Role
—
Made
—
Images
Original photographs from 2010. Colourways rendered from that material.
TABI / Original split-toe footwear design.
TABI / Original split-toe footwear design.

A different
point of departure.

Project T reworks the split-toe shoe as an everyday product. A separate big-toe pocket, a slim sole and carefully placed panels define the silhouette. The collection extends into colour and patterned uppers.

The split toe and panel construction.
The split toe and panel construction.
The outsole follows the divided toe.
The outsole follows the divided toe.
A low profile. A continuous line from heel to toe.
A low profile. A continuous line from heel to toe.

The collection,
rendered.

The colourways existed only as flat development drawings. Generated from our original photographs, this is how they look as products — including the tabi sock programme.

Render / Green on a gum sole, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / Green on a gum sole, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / Bold herringbone tweed, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / Bold herringbone tweed, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / White with brown suede toe, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / White with brown suede toe, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / All-white on a gum sole, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / All-white on a gum sole, after the original colourway drawing.
Render / Tabi socks — mustard knit with red-striped cuff.
Render / Tabi socks — mustard knit with red-striped cuff.
Render / Experimental: cameo pink, raw sienna and eugenia red.
Render / Experimental: cameo pink, raw sienna and eugenia red.
Render / Experimental: isabella, deep indigo and diamine green.
Render / Experimental: isabella, deep indigo and diamine green.
The original pair / Proportion, construction and the divided toe.
The original pair / Proportion, construction and the divided toe.
Project context

Original photographs from our 2010 Project T presentation. The colour and material renders are generated from that material with Midjourney’s image-edit model: the original photographs define the shoe, the old colourway drawings define the palette, and the renders show how the designs look as real products. The experimental colourways follow combinations from Wada Sanzo’s Dictionary of Color Combinations (Haishoku Soukan, 1910).