Hussein Chalayan's Urban Mobility

Four years ago, while taking summer classes at Central Saint Martins in London, I had a chance to see up-close the raw and unpublished works of some of their most notable graduates in fashion.

Nicely mounted on the walls of the university hallways were school projects, storyboards and sketches of Sophia Kokosalaki, Phoebe Philo and the London-based Turkish avant-garde designer Hussein Chalayan.

Chalayan’s BA collection sketchbook contained renderings of shapeless figures clothed in unusual details. Today he is known as a designer who pushes the boundaries of fashion through technology.

As the new Creative Director of Puma, Chalayan, presents Urban Mobility as his latest endeavor. This special collaboration with Puma explores the notion of “Mobile Life,” bridging fashion and stylish performance.

Chalayan describes Urban Mobility as “a carefully studied hybrid collection between style and high-tech function and materials. It is considered a balance with Puma’s technical excellence and my narrative approach to design.”

For his spring/summer 2010 footwear collection, Chalayan developed state–of-the-art materials specially made for the Urban Mobility label. One of the exclusive materials is the lightweight shoe sole made from Thermoplastic PolyUrethane (TPU), a high-grade type of plastic resin.

Black on black with flashes of gray and white is the signature color palette of the collection.

One of the must-have pieces is the Urban Flyer Fold Men’s, with a suede gray flyer backing that creates an illusion on the heel. It can be folded down to allow one’s feet to slip in easily.

The Urban Motus Women’s wedge shoe is also a must-have. The body is uniquely crafted like a men’s shoe with hard leather on the back, while the wedge high sole is constructed in a TPU encased shell to ensure lightweight flexibility.

Urban Mobility Spring/Summer 2010 footwear is exclusively available in Puma stores at Glorietta 4 and Bonifacio High Street.