Madonna's brother takes rubber-soled step into spotlight

LONDON (Reuters) - Christopher Ciccone, the younger brother of pop star Madonna, took a rubber-soled step outside of his famous sibling's shadow on Friday as he launched his first shoe collection at the start of London Fashion Week.

Ciccone, 51, spun a modern twist on functional footwear, using rubber, leather and canvas to reinvent riding boots, Wellington boots, boat shoes, brogues and sandals, using a mixture of bold block hues, geometric prints and strap details. The prices of the collection range from 39 pounds to just under 300 pounds ($63-$480).

'It's the art that follows the form (that) follows the function. I'm an artist, so everything that I create comes from that world,' Ciccone told Reuters, adding that he was inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, Mondrian and Delacroix.

Madonna did not attend the launch, but she was there in spirit as her latest hit song, 'Girl Gone Wild,' played alongside other pop hits during Ciccone's presentation at London's trendy Strand Gallery.

The collection itself was designed for 'anybody who likes to wear shoes, and where God made weather,' but Ciccone did have something picked out for Madonna - a pair of black leather cowboy-inspired boots with bold cutout details that he said 'just say her name louder.'

'We haven't spoken specifically about the collection itself. We have a strictly brother-sister relationship right now,' Ciccone said about Madonna. He added: 'Obviously, I'm sure I'll send her some shoes.'

Ciccone's collection for men, women and children will be showcased in New York, Paris and Vienna, as part of a worldwide traveling trunk show. But he said he was keen to debut the shoes in London.

'I've always had a real connection to this city, I just love it here. I think the footwear connects to the city itself from the design point of view and from the functional point of view. I just couldn't see doing it in Paris or Milan. London has an edgier side to it,' he said.

Ciccone's sales agent, John Alston, said the collection hoped to cater to a gap in the crowded footwear market, bringing high quality to affordable, functional shoes.

'It's a very crowded market, but we believe it's different enough,' Alston said.

($1 = 0.6165 pound)

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Matthew Lewis)



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