The bizarre shoes made from dead animals that Lady Gaga loves

By SADIE WHITELOCKS and BIANCA LONDON
UPDATED: 13:33 GMT, 23 October 2012
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This bizarre range of shoes may make the owner feel like they have one foot in the grave.
Crafted from dead animals, Iris Schieferstein's outlandish designs fetch up to £3,900 and have proved a hit with extreme dressers such as Lady Gaga.
Some of the most controversial pieces include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves with their wings spread wide and a collection of heels fashioned from hollow horse hooves.

Sculptor and artist Iris Schieferstein has been using dead animals for her works.

Some of Iris Schieferstein's most controversial designs include a pair of sandals sporting stuffed doves
The 45-year-old designer, from Berlin, Germany, collects carcasses from her local butcher which are discarded after the meat is used for sausages.
She spends a week stripping out any remaining meat and bones from the animal's feet and the skin is sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation.

She collects carcasses from her local butcher for her designs
The sculptor then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before hand-stitching insoles and lining.
She said: 'Creating the shoes is ugly work, taking the meat out is not nice, like any taxidermy.
'When I began working with dead animals I would pick them up from the street.
'But they are protected by the government in Germany, and so after ten years they tried to put me in prison. Now I use my butcher.'
The horse boots feature horse fur, a zip up the front, an intact hoof and horse bone as a heel.

Iris creates the quirky designs in her studio in Leuenberg, Germany



While a pair of snakeskin stilettos feature a replica pistol as a heel with the reptile seemingly eating its own tail.
Describing her inspiration Ms Schieferstein added: 'I love horses and I love shoes so I thought this would be perfect.
'Horses have a beautiful walk and I wanted to recreate that with my footwear.'
The footwear has been displayed at numerous exhibitions around the world and have even inspired a range from Dolce & Gabanna.
Despite the high price tag the footwear can only be worn for several hours at a time before becoming too uncomfortable.
Ms Schieferstein said: 'As yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.'
Last year the artist made a pair of custom-fit shoes for Lady Gaga.


Iris loves horses so decided to recreate the look in her designs


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