Dutch shoe designer Jan Jansen dies at 85

Amsterdam - One of the Netherlands' most famous shoe designers has passed away. Jan Jansen died at the age of 85, a friend of the family reported to the ANP press agency. He passed away in his Amsterdam home from cancer.

The designer made a name for himself with his striking shoes, notable for both their colour and material. One of his most famous designs is the bamboo shoe. It made Jansen world-famous overnight, although not many pairs were sold. “It was such an expensive shoe to make. It was entirely handmade with the help of a rattan weaver from Amsterdam. Still, I am very happy that I was able to add the bamboo shoe to my body of work. It unintentionally became the best marketing I could have imagined,” he told FashionUnited in 2021.

Jan Jansen dies: fashion industry loses unique shoe designer

He did not see his unique perspective on shoes as an art form, although many would. “Look, I am not a free artist; I am an industrial designer. A shoe must be walkable, that is a prerequisite. Within that limitation, I have always tried to create something that no one else had ever done before. And I succeeded. There have been many variations of the bamboo shoe, and all sorts of major brands have copied it,” said the designer.

In 2021, an exhibition of Jansen's work took place at the Museum Jan in Amstelveen. A year later, the shoe brand also made a comeback under the Dutch Hooijer Group.