MICHAEL AZU

A collection dedicated to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, FRANCE.

‘I wanted to create a footwear collection and dedicate each pair to a famous residence at the cemetery for example, Frederic Chopin, Eugene Delacroix, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde etc.  However, after several visits I started to realise that I was more attracted to the abandoned and decaying graves and mausoleums.  Whilst most of the tourists would flock to all the famous graves, I started to think more and more about the abandoned sites.  I wanted to somehow, pay homage to the forgotten people at Pere Lachaise.  The people whose graves no longer get visited by friends, family or loved ones because their lineage had now ceased at some point.  It made me think about the value we find in things, that however precious we may find something, nature will find a way to eventually erase all traces of it.  This corrosive effect nature has on the grave’s materials such as the wood, lime stone or metal, most visitors to Pere Lachaise may find repellent, but I wanted to celebrate all the beauty I found in it.’ Michael Azu