Some shoes are too good not to be put on display. And Maison Margiela's Tabi definitely falls into that category. Enter, Idea Generale, the Italian design duo turning the iconic cloven-hoofed heels into haute couture homeware.
The non-wearable (but equally brilliant) Tabi-shaped ceramic vase is the unlikely objet d’art that has captured our hearts. Like Martin Margiela's quirky creation that inspired it, the vase is as realistic as it gets and comes in a wide range of colors to complement every style, from glossy red and matte black to baby blue.
Idea Generale designers Saida Bruni and Alfredo Garbugli first unleashed the Tabi vase on the world at the end of summer 2020. "The idea stemmed from my need to have a vase at home in the shape of the shoe that I love most,” Bruni told Dazed. “Digging online, I saw that it hadn’t been realized yet, so I decided to put it into reality.”
At first, it was meant to be a personal project but thankfully they decided to make a business out of it. “In the beginning, we wanted to keep the vases just for us,” said Garbugli, “but a lot of friends approached us and wanted one too.”
The unexpected success of the Tabi vase is what has galvanized Idea Generale's hope to build their own niche – turning out unusual designed objects mixed with design classics like Cassina or Zanotta. That’s also the reason behind the brand's unassuming name: “A general idea is something that is not defined. It’s something that could be anything in the future.” We'll be keeping our eyes on this up-and-coming brand.
