Vinnie and Sky’s Vans
By Pennie Jagiello
What is the origin of your shoes?
These are two pairs of Vans slip-ons - Sky's classic checkerboard pair and Vinnie's leopard-print pair. They're not mine, they're my children's shoes. We bought Sky's when she was in Year 8, and later found Vinnie's leopard print pair in an op-shop.
What do they signify?
It's definitely about the relationship between Sky and her brother Vinnie. Sky went through a growth spurt around year 8 and just kept growing and growing. Vinnie has always looked up to Sky - literally and figuratively! He would put his feet in her shoes and just slop around, so when we found him his leopard-print pair, he was so excited. I have a memory of him flip-flopping around in her shoes, then getting his own pair. I guess it's definitely that relationship - the children, even though they perhaps don’t hold the same significance for them.
What did/do you love about them?
I think it's just that they loved them. I always find it interesting to see what draws children to particular styles. The iconic checkerboard pattern is very familiar to me from my childhood, so I identify with it. And then Vinnie chose the leopard print - his own style, but still the same slip-on model. But being secondhand, there's no choice in that anyway - they chose them, and I love that they loved them.
Is there anything you dislike about them?
The only thing I would say about these slip-ons is that they promote laziness, always just wanting to slip on shoes and not wanting to bother with laces. So that's what you don't necessarily love - it makes the shoe-tying learning journey longer. But then, on the other hand, the great thing is when you're saying, 'Come on, kids, we've got to go!' and they can just throw them on.
What do you think would happen to them if you didn't give them a second life?
I'd continue to use both pairs with my students. I teach a course where you give the students one week to take two shoes and make them into something new. I use Vinnies and Sky’s as examples when discussing the significance of footwear, both personally and in relation to consumer waste and circularity.
When I look at both pairs together, I realise there's a huge difference between the sizes. The action of measuring them against one another is almost like a marker of the ways siblings measure themselves against one another, even now. Because of those memories and what the shoes signify, I feel quite attached to them. It will be nice to transform them as a way to honour my children and their relationship at this time of their lives. I love each of my children, and they're not always going to be small.
It was really interesting that when I deconstructed Sky's checkerboard pair first, I consciously took a bit of time with it. Then it was quite funny to realise that when I came to do Vinnie's leopard-print pair, I was a little bit more hasty. It was sort of like - first child, second child. The way that I deconstructed them seemed to represent the experience of motherhood!
What did you make them into and why?
I made them into two chains, which used almost all the parts. They serve as a worn metaphor for human relationships as they evolve, as well as the challenges of the fashion system which can be strong and sustainable, fragile and broken.
