The Bite Magazine - Autmn/Winter 2020 - Issue 28

biteshoes I n Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the sev- en daughters of Atlas, a Titan who held up the sky, and the oceanic Pleione, protectress of sail- ing, but in the world of accessory, Pleiades is a unique, contemporary shoe brand celebrating art and craft. It also encompasses history and dance within its collections and is the product of historical research and creative development. Through challenging con- ceptions and pushing boundaries between cultures, Pleiades fuses Asian and European influences. After graduating from high school in Seoul, South Korea, founder and designer Min Heo headed to Eu- rope and studied sculpture at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. She then pur- sued fashion design at Istituto Marangoni in Milan and learned shoe design at Cordwainers School, Lon- don College of Fashion. Min also gained practical ex- perience at international fashion brands in New York City and Seoul. After this, she launched her accessory brand in her home town. Learning various Korean traditional crafts, includ- ing bojagi sewing, Korean painting, lacquer art, and quilting as a child, helped Min to create stylish shoes with original conceptual depth rooted in these tradi- tions infused with European heritage of art and fash- ion. With the help of Korean traditional artisans in various fields such as Moshi weaving, Nubi quilting, and traditional Korean shoemaking, she produced a new genre of unique, beautiful, contemporary shoes, which are very much sought after. Pleiades have created five dynamic collections since its inception. The first, Season 1 ‘Gisaengs’ was in- spired by the unconventional, talented beauties of ancient Korea called ‘gisaengs’ whose origins start- ed around 576 AD as dancers and singers who per- formed during important ceremonies in the palace. The collection portrays these understated and elegant yet provocative women who were pictured as shy and good-mannered, but depict seductive eyes in por- traits.