The pilots’ business concepts push them into new territory. They are founders, freelancers and independent business people who are orchestrating their own career with a good dose of imagination and entrepreneurial spirit.
And amongst them is the shoe label, Nat-2, from Munich.
Sebastien Thies’ family has been producing shoes since 1856, making him a sixth-generation shoe designer. When he founded his label, Nat-2, in 2007, he led the family tradition into modern times. And he did so, specifically, with a concept that he had invented with his father, Matthias Thies. This concept consists of convertible shoes – which can be transformed from trainers to sandals, and from sandals to ankle-bone-high sneakers, or to boots – in a matter of seconds. It works using a patented system consisting of a special zip that is used to detach the upper part from the sandal underneath – a 2-in-1 or 4-in-1 shoe, depending on the model. The different colours available within a particular range allow the styles to be mixed and matched. Alongside the style of shoe, Sebasiten Thies also experiments with materials in his designs, incorporating materials that are not conventionally used in the manufacture of shoes. These include woven aluminium and varnished cork with different colour gradients, as well as 3D effects and materials that change colour. The award ceremony will take place at AXICA, in Berlin, on 5 November 2014. Brigitte Zypries, Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, will be presenting the awards at a ceremonial evening, which will be compèred by Katty Salié, presenter of the German culture show, Aspekte.
