‘Certain complex designs can take up two weeks to realise’

What does your job at La Monnaie consist of?

I mainly make the shoes for the productions, but I also manage the stock. Depending on the productions and the costume designers, we either have to make new pairs of shoes, use those we already have in stock or buy new ones. It all depends on the needs of the production. If we need something really special, in terms of size, colour or model, we always make it by hand in our workshop. That way we can tailor the shoes to the performer. When the shoes are half-finished, we try them on the performer so that we can adapt them perfectly to their feet.

“There aren’t that many places where you can create shoes, design them with the production team, build them from scratch and then see them worn on stage.”

How long does it take to make a shoe?

It depends. When assembling a pair, we aim to make the shoes as quickly as possible, and two days may be enough. But more complex pieces can take two weeks. For The Time of Our Singing, we crafted a pair of heeled shoes with leather that we made ourselves, and we had to sample sandal straps. For Rivoluzione e Nostalgia, we had to do a lot of work on a pair of 1960s-style heels. We reproduced an existing model but had to adapt the thickness of the heels to avoid them getting stuck in these little holes on stage. We used a 3D printer to achieve the greatest possible precision.

What training did you follow?

At the age of 27, I started training in orthopaedic shoe technology at the Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Geel. Before that, I studied product development at the University of Antwerp. I also did a number of internships with shoe manufacturers in Portugal and Italy, and with John Amatus in London, who at the time were producing limited series for prestigious brands such as Vivienne Westwood and Agent Provocateur.

How long have you been working at La Monnaie?

Since September 2018, on Die Zauberflöte, so almost six years. For a long time I wanted to be a shoe repairer. But I was made to understand that to ensure job security in this field, I had to go into orthopaedics. So I started working for an orthopaedic surgeon in Leuven during my studies. I spent seven years there. I learned a lot, got my social security number … Then, when I saw the vacancy for the job I have today, I applied straight away.

What made you want to come to La Monnaie?

The nature of the work. There aren’t that many places where you can create shoes, design them with the production team, build them from scratch and then see them worn on stage. The job perfectly encompasses my dual background: product development and orthopaedics. We create prototypes, and we have to make sure that the singer feels good in the shoes and is not worrying about his or her feet. Sometimes we can even help reduce common orthopaedic problems, such as hallux valgus, hammer toes and other deformities.

‘What I love the most is when we manage to bring together the aesthetic vision of the director, the design of the costumes, the various possibilities of shoemaking and the comfort of the singers.’

What productions have left a big impression on you?

The colourful boots in The Tale of Tsar Saltan were really fun to make. There were a lot of challenges for Bastarda too. For some models, the workshop almost resembled an assembly line, something we are not really used to. But the workshop could really function without too many instructions from me, and we had the opportunity to improve. For Der Rosenkavalier, we made massive buskins to raise the performers using high wooden heels made in the carpentry workshop. More recently, for Die Walküre, to increase the height of the giants, we created shoes that looked ‘normal’ but actually had an extra seven centimetres hidden inside. The dancers in La Gioconda, who were performing on a stage covered in water, had to wear waterproof ankle boots. We sealed off the different parts of the shoe with silicone to make them waterproof. The tall pink latex boots in Les Contes d’Hoffmann were also interesting to make, because latex is not an easy material to work with.

What do you like best about your work?

The research. It changes all the time. There are days that are incredibly intense, when you want to invent and create, and when you have to solve problems. And there are days when you can relax and sort through the shoes we have in stock. But what I love the most is when we manage to bring together the aesthetic vision of the director, the design of the costumes, the various possibilities of shoemaking and the comfort of the singers.

Translation: Patrick Lennon