Award-winning shoe design champions LGBTIQ+ Pride
Alkab is a reflection of the diverse personas which make LGBTQIA+ members uniquely beautiful.
Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising homegrown talent Fred Leysa with his award-winning shoe design Alkab.
Photograph courtesy of Camille Albarracin
Enterprising designer Fred Leysa showcased the complexities of the gender spectrum in Alkab, an award-winning shoe design, which weaved traditional Filipino craftsmanship with contemporary techniques.
With the name a palindrome of bakla, a Filipino term for “gay,” the concept stemmed from the young artist’s struggle to find shoes that fit both his masculine feet and feminine style.
“Growing up, I remember watching Sex and the City, The Devil Wears Prada and Pretty Woman,” he recalled. “Just like most gay boys, I would dress up and act like the women in these shows, but never found the shoes to complete the dream.”
For the wood-carved heels, Leysa worked with the artisans from Paete Wood Carving Handicraft.
“I wanted my version of Carrie’s Manolo’s, or Andrea’s Chanel boots, but it felt impossible because nothing fit me,” he added. “For years, I would squish my feet into ill-fitting women’s shoes designed with no intent to
be worn by men.”
Leysa thanked his former professor at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Risqué Designs founder and chief executive officer Tal de Guzman, for introducing him to the shoe-making industry.
“Through her workshops, I noticed my footwear needs were different, and that very few brands in the global market cater towards this niche,” he explained. “By making my own pair, I learned to love my feet and relive the various fantasies I was never able to realize, simply because the shoe didn’t fit.”
Leysa partnered with local weaver Shirley Alaurin from Bicol for a sturdier sinamay fabric that combined abaca and silver threads.
With this, the Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising graduate had one goal in mind: To be one of the designers the LGBTIQ+ community may turn to for their statement shoe.
“When I talk about queer footwear, it’s not just women’s shoes that are available in men’s sizes or vice versa. These are designs that holistically cater to the LGBTQIA+,” he clarified. “I want to give the community options because the market was limited.”
Alkab, his first piece, is a boot within a boot. With layers as its keyword, it is a reflection of the diverse personas which make LGBTQIA+ members uniquely beautiful. It is a play on the experience of coming out and features a lacing system that resembles a corset, a staple in any drag queen’s wardrobe.
