May 24, 2019 |
Playground fashions – who misses them? Kids across the UK have a particular knack for sprucing up their plain old school uniforms with a pop of colour here, a few diamantés there. There’s the baby pink Casio G-Shocks, tattoo necklaces, Paul’s Boutique jackets and even shag bands (who seriously allowed that to happen?) – least one of which you must have begged your parents to buy you one Christmas so you could upstage your bestie. Though no primary school fashion fad comes close to the jelly shoe. If Regina George were a shoe, she’d be the jelly. The girls who paired their blue summer dresses with a matte white pair, well and truly ruled the playground – they knew they were the tits. They were a footwear staple that picked up again as the same girls entered their teens, spending their days curating pastel goth Tumblr blogs, watching coming-of-age films and taking pictures in American Apparel changing rooms to feature on their cactus-themed Instagrams.
It seems as though we are ready to enter the third wave of jelly-mania. Melissa, the pioneers of the original jelly shoe, have re-issued their iconic Possession model. Transporting us straight back to the 1990s with that rubbery Irn-Bru-like scent, the model has been tweaked to fit in with the times. The sandals are now 100% vegan and come in eight new colourways – in both a matte and translucent finish. To celebrate the re-launch, 10 contributor Nellie Eden has curated an exhibition opening this weekend only at the brand’s London flagship, Galeria Melissa. Forever Now explores both the futuristic design of the shoe and the sense of nostalgia the model triggers for many of us. Eden has commissioned Esmay Wagemans who has created plastic limbs, torsos and busts to be displayed at the exhibition. Multimedia artist Daniel Swan has also created visuals to accompany a soundscape by poet James Massiah. And who better way to christen the exhibition than PDA residents Shygirl and Mischa Mafia, who soundtracked the exhibitions private viewing last night.
‘Forever Now’ by Nellie Eden
Can’t make it down this weekend? Don’t worry, you’re not missing out on all the action. An immersive installation celebrating all things Posession will be open to the public in Galeria Melissa’s basement. The space is plastered in images from the re-issue’s official campaign, inspired by the original 1997 imagery that propelled the popularity of the jelly shoe to tremendous new heights – the original slogan, ‘always the same, always different’ now reworked simply to ‘all ways equal.’ With its minimal design and timeless appeal, the Possession is the ideal summer shoe for everyone… And not to mention a perfect way to fake your age as you grapple onto your youthful years.
Forever Now, curated by Nellie Eden for the launch of Melissa Posession, opens at Galeria Melissa ,May 24th – 27th. The immersive installation in Galeria Melissa’s basement is open till September 1st 2019
