What happens when shoe silhouettes and embellishments in layers of beads are fused with sculptural pieces? It might sound like a creative overload, but the result is something new, now and next — ZÓ.

ZÓ, the Alexie Nethercott and Lilianna Manahan collaboration, was born out of a mutual admiration for each other’s craft. Both artists initially met at the Maarte Fair in 2022, and a creative partnership was born. Soon after their first work meeting, the element of “eyeballs” became the focal inspiration. Nethercott had noticed that Manahan’s elements had eyeball-looking forms in them, while the latter noticed the same thing as well in the former’s clean and graphic manner.

The idea in the beginning was to make a limited-edition collection that would highlight beading and metal smithing with everything made by hand.

The next step was to have a theme that resulted in a mash-up of Trip to the Moon, disco, Cirque du Soleil, Nikki de St. Phalle with a dash of sci-fi and a whole lot of maximalist details.

The materials were based on what they wanted to execute rather than the materials themselves — the collection was to be a showcase of unhinged imagination, material, craft and a celebration of two disciplines turning into something new.

The result was different textures likened to koosh balls, etching, layering of metals, theatrical and surrealist forms with a whole lot of sparkle and fun.

Characters in the ZO Universe range from the well-known moon, sun, stars, to planetary mademoiselles and moonbugs in a parachute as their only means to get around.

The star of the collection is an acrobat (named Zizoo, after one of Lilianna’s favorite football players Zinedine Zidane) based on common elements of their brands.

More importantly, it became an embodiment of the spirit of exploration and overcoming challenges with a lot of sparkle.

Much like Zizoo, the artists’ journey together ended up as a learning curve that taught them how to adjust to each other’s timelines, skill sets and considerations to create a work of art. Every masterpiece brought a challenge that pushed and refined their skills further. Lilianna hand-sculpted every component to be cast in brass, and formed the jewelry pieces, while Alexie beaded layer upon layer onto the finished silver. 

The galactic collection consists of limited-edition shoes in heels and flats with casted silver and brass charms. The ZO Universe heels showcase the characters and elements of the ZO Universe that dangle and jangle as you walk.