The Bite Magazine - Spring 2019 - Issue 24

bite lifestyle Born in Tuscany, Italy, Felloni had originally planned to be- come an architect when his father encouraged him to apply his natural artistic ability to the design of shoes. Through this, the young Felloni was able to see “profound correlations between architecture and shoe design. Each involves a structure that must provide support.” Having started at the family’s shoe workshop, he continued to hone his skills at some of the lead- ing fashion houses including Mui Mui and Dior before landing at La Maison Vivier. An extraordinaire who’s been designing footwear, leather goods and accessories for luxury brands in Paris for the past ten years, Felloni said of the French brand, “To me, Roger Vivier has always been a source of reference in my work. He was an absolute master of shoe design. It is an honour for me to work for the house that he created.” The creative director brings his passion for the arts to the table, which includes exploring interior design, collecting antique jewellery and singing opera as a tenor. We all revered Roger Vivier as the ‘Fabergé of footwear’ who created shoes that looked like works of art. His stint at the Par- is School of Fine Arts was not wasted when he abandoned his studies after two years to learn the art of shoemaking. “I have always been passionate about design. I review my sketches hundreds of times because I want to make sure that the idea I have in my mind is correct and respects the architecture of the foot.” It is perhaps this quote that inspired Felloni to reference his use of architecture and design in shoes. Hotel Vivier wasn’t just a showcase of his first collection for Roger Vivier which was displayed in each room but there were also a number of female creatives in each of these rooms engaged in their own designated craft. In one room, there was an aspiring actress practising her lines and in another, a lyrical singer serenaded the crowd along with four puppies beside her on the bed. “I chose a hotel made by women and owned by women,” Felloni said. “I had a chance to create characters that I love.” In a cinematic homage to Parisian distinction and his love of cinema, Felloni created a theatrical backdrop to present a revamped and creative vocabulary that took inspiration from the archives of shoes and accessories in the Roger Vivier vaults. Hotel Vivier is said to be “an ode to women, in all their diversity and beauty,” and in the creative director’s own im- agination, women are like flowers in a garden – romantic but sometimes abandoned – where many varieties have taken their rightful place, in freedom. His goal was to make stepping through the doors of Hotel Vivier like walking into a sequence of scenes. His short film ‘Duo des Chats’ (Duo Cats), directed by Michael Haussman and in which he plays the piano, features Nadia Tereskiewitz as the twins who sing ‘Duetto buffo di due gatti (humorous duet for two cats)’ by Rossini. In a desperate bid to take home the box of Roger Vivier shoes sitting on the lap of renowned French actress Catherine Deneuve (who is trying not to look amused by all the fiasco throughout), the two fight tooth and nail. In the blurred line between fiction and reality, it is promised you’d experience something that is both familiar and unex- pected at Hotel Vivier; a fascinating place where visitors are invited to discover the world of Roger Vivier. Not only are there six women and five rooms with artistic professions that reflect his work and life but they also consist of liberated, contemporary and eclectic characters that are framed with cinematographic quality in their intimate setting, a representa- tion, yet a false reality. A creative director who believes the essence of Roger Vivier can be distilled into three fundamental – silhouette, colour and exclusivity – each one is articulated in new ways. For example, the distinctive silhouette is enhanced by a low kitten heel creating a modern look with couture flair. Not one to shy