Uzumaki Cepeda has long turned to lush, vibrant faux furs to express softness and create safe spaces in her art. "I always wanted to create a room instead of just hanging something up on the wall. So, the fur installations were a good entry into that," Cepeda said to The FADER in an interview last year. "Having a hard childhood, I want to recreate it in a way that everyone's gonna become a kid when they step inside this room. It's all about safe space and feeling comfortable."
The Bronx-raised Afro-Dominican artist is now taking that same sense of ease evoked by her installations and putting it into her new line of trainers. The sock-fit shoes are hand-sewn and feature patches of Cepeda's signature faux fur along with a thick, red, exposed stitching for a playful and one-of-a-kind feel. The trainers are available in both women's and men's sizes and run for $85 on Cepeda's online store, so you'll have enough money to buy some of her other pieces, like her rainbow-hued, furry hoop earrings or This or That, her color-focused photo book that juxtaposes her photography against her art.
Thumbnail image via Uzumaki Cepeda's Instagram.