Pinoy-made shoe sculptures make waves at The Met

If you’re lucky enough to catch the yearly exhibits at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, chances are you’ll be going home with a keepsake or two. In my case it was 2008, the exhibit was “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” and my keepsake was a kick-ass book.

Last year’s was the highly acclaimed tribute to the late designer McQueen in “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.“ One would be a fool to leave empty-handed and this time, apart from a book, a miniature sculpture of his Armadillo shoe got top billing.

I’ve only seen photos but it was enough to make me want it bad. The intricate details were all present with texture so evident in such a tiny piece, the proportions perfect. This year, it was the Italians’ turn in “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.“

Once more, a shoe sculpture emerged in the form of the impossibly quirky flame shoe from Prada’s spring/summer ’12 collection. A personal favorite, I had to hunt down the source of these beautiful works of art. I was fortunate an old officemate knew the craftsman and lo and behold, it came from Manila!

Yes, the shoes traveled a good 8,000 miles to get to the East Coast, a funny thought for a fashion fiend like myself who’s dying to get her hands on one.

The sculptures are by Frances Hernandez’s family who have been in the export business for almost two decades. Apart from the souvenirs, they also export home and holiday decor.

Frances has been doing different kinds of sculptures for The Met for 16 years now. “I have made over a hundred styles of shoes plus other customized artifacts related to their collection. It has been a tradition by this time that I make at least eight styles of shoes each year to add to the miniature shoe collection. The museum has established a core of collectors that eagerly wait to get it each year.”

Their products can be found all over the world, from Dubai, Australia, London, Paris to Japan. The response has been nothing but positive, her products being specialty keepsakes. How special is it that such pieces are proudly Filipino-made? It makes me covet it even more. Now, time to find a balikbayan who’s on her way back home.