The designer turning old adidas Superstars into boots and mules

Since she launched her Central Saint Martins BA collection in 2018, Paolina Russo has been on the list of designers to keep an eye on. Born and raised in Markham, Canada, by a Filipino mother and a Canadian father, the young creative confirmed expectations with the FW20 collection presented during the last London Fashion Week. On the catwalk, she brought contemporary Amazons dressed in bustier, leggings and sculptural and colourful dresses, a patchwork of different materials and shades that follow the curves of the body and have become key pieces of her aesthetic. 

Hybrid shoes are her most eye-catching creations. Russo, in collaboration with Marko Baković, has created cut-out knee boots and mules made by reworking old Superstar adidas, deconstructed and rearranged like a fashion Frankenstein. Available in black and white, with the iconic Three Stripes of the sportswear brand in the spotlight, the new creations, which recall the work of Ancuta Sarca, are enriched with silver zippers and square heels. 

Sneakers and old sports equipment have always been raw materials for Russo's work. In the I Forgot Home collection her talent for combining leather and other upcycled materials is clear and her post-apocalyptic armour looks like perfect outfits for the street style of the future.

During her studies at CSM, the designer did an internship under John Galliano at Maison Martin Margiela, (he named a crocheted dress part of the SS17 collection by Maison Margiela after her) and received numerous awards such as the L'Oreal Professional Talent Award. The biggest honour to her work is to see her clothes worn by stars such as Solange Knowles, Rihanna, Rita Ora, Barbara Palvin and FKA Twigs (in the Home With You video).