Max Kibardin: Ful Speed Ahead

Fresh off his early 2012 stateside debut, Milan-based designer Max Kibardin is lending a little flair to his vertiginous soles. Together with Chicks on Speed for their second collaboration to date, the designer has created a limited-edition platform evening sandal that will be a part of In Synthesis, an exhibition opening today in Australia aiming to empower female artist collectives and communities, in which Chicks on Speed is participating. “They’re musicians, they’re artists, they’re designers, they’re modern with a special point of view and they have a special aesthetic as women,” Kibardin told Style.com of his partners on the project. “This is the shoe they’ll use for different exhibitions and performances. It was a way to embrace their artistic needs and about creating something unique for them.”

And while the shoe is rendered in one of Kibardin’s signature open-toe shapes, the customized print was born out of a chance bar encounter in Tokyo. Chicks on Speed’s Alex Murray-Leslie met local Tokyo artist Ossan, and soon Ossan had created an animated interpretation of Murray-Leslie’s new song “Clonomatic,” due out on their new album in 2013. That animation is why Kibardin continues to pursue intriguing collaborations. “It’s always interesting to see my brand from a new view—this kind of collaboration allows me to see my brand differently.” That, and it satisfies a creative outlet beyond sales. “Sometimes you want to do something just for fun, something independent from the commercial part of the business. You want to create something just for the sake of being creative.”

(style.com)