Mees Baars

A Good Day to be a Bird

The ostrich is the largest bird on land. It is also the fastest, covering 3 to 5 meters in a single stride when at full speed. This is due to its unusual leg proportions. The ostriches' legs are long, thin, and slightly awkward-looking, ending in large feet with just two toes.

A good day, for me, starts with a moment of observation, fixating on details. I’m drawn into patterns and associations that catch my attention before I fully understand why. There is a certain restlessness in that focus. Ideas that start as vague fascinations gradually take shape through the act of making, translating my observations and associations into something tangible. In this process, by giving form to what at first feels abstract, my good day finds its meaning. Sharing that translation becomes a way of exposing others to the same curiosity that at first pulled me in.

IEP is a shoe collection consisting of six pairs of shoes that explore the striking proportions and forms of the ostrich. Its legs and feet are carefully investigated, and translated into a traditional way of shoemaking, resulting in this collection. The project’s name IEP references a Dutch children’s book by the same name, which portrays a girl slowly transforming into a bird. This story is reflected in a subtle way in the collection. When worn, the shoes alter the appearance of the legs and feet, giving them bird-like proportions reinterpreted through fashion.