DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
KCY : To meet the demand of different occasions during travelling abroad, we will bring two or three pairs of shoes for matching clothes, but they take much space in the luggage. Sometimes, whole pair of shoes should be abandoned due to the tiny wastage/damage on the surface or base of the shoes. It should be concerned to the waste of social resource and environmental contamination. Therefore, if the shoes surface or base could be replaced freely and easily when one of them is broken, we could further solve the resource waste problem of whole pair of shoes buying just for partial wastage/damage and enhance the practicality and convenience.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
KCY : Paper Doll Shoes is composed by the shoes surface and base. There is a simple combination relationship between the surface and base through separating the shoes body.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
KCY : The concept of Paper Doll Shoes was completed in February, 2016. The mass production will be started in July, 2016 and we will also found formal website http://www.besty-eve.com.tw/index.php/home to launch this brand into the market.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
KCY : 2015-2016
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
KCY : Mr. Kao, Chen-Yuan is the founder of De Guang Digital Design Co. Ltd., he is skilled in product service and R&D. And he is also the candidate for Doctor of the department of Industrial Design of the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU).
DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
KCY : The production and R&D of Paper Doll Shoes will be all finished by the way of MIT (made in Taiwan). We will start to launch this product from Taiwan domestic market first, and then intend to target to the markets of Europe and U.S.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
KCY : The idea of the design of Paper Doll Shoes is not only for Practicability and Aesthetic in form. How to integrate with environmental protection and fashion is the most important challenge we have to face.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
KCY : DE GUANG DIGITAL DESIGN CO LTD.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
KCY : Paper Doll Shoes expects the people who prefer to dress with more fashion and present more personality and functions. The main target groups we locked are teenagers who pursuit popularity changes, singles, and DINKs (Double Income No Kids). They’re the people group who prefer innovation and changes, and they like to look for some small changes in static life.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
KCY : There is no familiar shoes product like our design with the changeability of shoes surface in current market.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
KCY : The changeability of shoe surfaces on one base could present more different impressions. It will become the new trend that shoes could change the surface as wearing new clothes. The variety of shoe style brings colorful fashion on your feet. One base matching different surface could easily match your outfit on your likes. The tenon-mortise of the shoe base was applied by modular design. Wearing Paper Doll Shoes is like playing the paper doll, and the users could change the surface freely.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
KCY : Rapid Prototyping, RP.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
KCY : Comparing to the normal shoes in the market, the unique changeability of shoes surface with different styles could successfully enhance the alternative function of the shoes. Bold and bright colors on the shoes surfaces and the unique combination of surface and base could create the possibility of different style designs of shoes surface
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
KCY : DE GUANG DIGITAL DESIGN CO LTD.
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
KCY : Rapid Prototyping, RP.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
KCY : Usability engineering.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
KCY : Due to the drastic competition of the brands in shoemaking industry, the product lifecycle of shoes becomes shorter. For this trend, Paper Doll Shoes will launch new items/products faster. We consider gaining the competitive advantage through launching a new shoes surface per month and continuously improving the R&D ability of shoes surface style in this industry.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
KCY : We have re-considered the original idea of designation to seek the design which is profitable to human beings under the modern design based on forms and styles.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
KCY : Challenging questions is the best encouragement to the designer Kao, chen-yuan to meet the requirement.
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
KCY : The social responsibility regarding to global environment problem is considered to our mission and duty in the industry.
