They’ve got drip (literally)
A group of student artists have found themselves in the middle of controversy following the announcement of their extravagant shoes.
Hot Steppers is a University of Ottawa student club dedicated to the “design, collection, and celebration of footwear.” As an annual club celebration, there is a shoe design competition.
However, there was a social media storm following the club’s announcement of the finalists, which included ‘Canal Couture’, a pair designed with water from the Rideau Canal.
“We were asked to include something meaningful to us in our designs, so we opted for the Canal,” said team leader and fourth-year marketing student, Stu Laces. “I’ve been broken up on the bridge three times, so I think it counts.”
However, viewers on social media believe the opposite; some people, like Di Daniels, find the so-called tribute quite offensive to the residents of the Rideau Canal.
“There is a living monster lurking below the water and you just take part of his home-like it’s nothing? Like it’s replaceable? It’s unbelievable,” said Daniels a first-year biology student.
“That’s not what the river monster would have intended. That’s not how his home was built for.”
Daniels could not comment on the alleged river monster’s actual intentions, saying she has been out of contact with him for the past month.
Laces and Canal Couture have refused to take down or revise their design, saying that the overreaction does not make any sense.
“We worked hard for this and the river monster doesn’t even exist,” said Laces. “We’re here to win, whether people like it or not.”
