Design Map · Eindhoven
High Heels: Objects of Orientation
Graduation project by Felix van Gent at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
Why are high heels so closely associated with femininity today? This question led Felix van Gent to investigate the changing meanings of the high heel throughout history. Once worn by male aristocrats as a symbol of power, high heels later became linked to the restrictions placed on women before being reclaimed by many as a form of self-expression. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s concept of orientation, which explores how bodies are directed through space and society, van Gent presents three pairs of high heels that each alter the body’s posture in different ways. Made from black leather and wood using traditional shoemaking techniques, the shoes reinterpret the familiar stiletto to reveal how footwear can shape not only movement but also identity and expectations.