Narratives In Every Step

If your shoes could talk, what would they say?

Words & Photos by Rica Mae Labbao
December 10, 2025

Be in someone’s shoes, and then you’ll know. 

When someone’s too overbearing and judgmental, people often mutter these words, simplifying a signal of compassion, understanding, and sympathy, because no one really knows what another person goes through. As it signifies, every person is uniquely made with their own story to write and experiences to tell.

For Joel Wijangco, just like humans, each pair of shoes also carries its own story—narratives that celebrate, commemorate, and sympathize. He found shoe-making to be a way of storytelling, a form of homage to all the concepts he wanted to write about.

With a clear path of what he wanted to do, he created not just shoes but masterpieces that break the box and immortalize narratives often overlooked by reality.

Out Of The Box Shoes

In the previous Art2Wear Exhibit, Joel featured a collection of unconventionally stylish yet wearable shoes, each with striking inspirations behind it.

Maharot

Made out of black suede, wood, silicone, and rubber, Mahadera features a dark and sharp cartoon image of eyes and teeth that leave the audience with the impression of the social commentary stitched into the history of these shoes.

Resembling an old memory of his poised grandfather sleeping in a rocking chair, wearing a classic Barong Tagalog while waiting for his busy grandmother in the next room, Bobeng in Repose brings nostalgic feelings captured in a time capsule.

Created about five years ago, Sister’s Favorite is a manifestation of familial connection, courage, and appreciation, all tucked into a pair of inedible but food-looking footwear.

Fully pledged with a set of lower teeth, tongue, and the spine, the BoHo, or Body Horror, resonates with the eating disorder that comes when food becomes political and terrifying.

From writing a borrowed story, remembering a distant memory, celebrating a brave fight, and redefining a sad disorder, Joel created renditions of writing stories dressed as avant-garde shoes.

A Peek In The Process

Fitting ni Sioning

Just like how every story starts with a single line, every shoe starts from scratch. According to Joel, a perfect idea of a design is not true; instead, he just knows that he wants to write it.

“Because the shoes, they’re kind of like little stories for me. There’s a reason why each piece is there,” he said.

After every design, he’ll start by creating a tech pack first—a set of information about the suggested details for all parts of the shoes.

Then he’ll shortlist every material to be used for each pair before sending it to the makers. To him, every detail makes up the whole story, like in Bobeng in Repose, where products are sourced from Laguna, Rizal, and Marikina, to ensure the authentic encapsulation of the memory behind the shoes. 

As the production progresses, an important step comes in—R&D (Research and Development). During this stage, the materials suggested are put to the test to check if they’re feasible and wearable—a crucial stage for the shoes, as it holds the future of the footwear to live up to its function and essence. 

The writer behind the designer

Maritess

Joel Wijangco is a shoe designer who finds peace in every pair he creates, transforming unstable moments into timeless and meaningful pieces. 

As he set his feet inside the shoe industry, he experienced fumbling a lot as a humble designer with no old money connections before meeting Tal De Guzman.

Tal served as Joel’s fairy godmother, who introduced him to enterprising shoemakers in Manila. This move helped bridge the gaps he faced to start creating atypical shoes straight out of his artistic mind.

For Joel, every piece contains a part of his identity written in the details. A pulsating, living, and real part that mirrors what he strives to fight for. 

“Fashion is just about telling people, you know, this is who I am inside. Like, this is how I want to be seen.”

In an ever-changing existence of emotions in fashion, Joel lets us take a step into a world full of stories written in different shapes, textures, and perceptions. 

Osuang

So if my shoes could speak, they would probably tell me stories from the perspective down my line of sight, emotions they collected from the first-time experiences I had, and issues they encountered whenever I forgot all about their existence. Some pairs stayed for longer chapters than others, some pairs unlocked new stories, and some pairs ran out of words to tell, permanently closing the pinnacle of their story.

We don’t recognize it, but sometimes, we fill the chapters of our life with only our shoes—a staple that takes us to places we barely recognize and an armor that leads us home.

As of today, Joel is still writing narratives in the form of shoemaking. He’s looking forward to releasing new creations, including his glamorous Alpombra Series, a pair of shoes inspired by the humorous take on the said footwear, and his first-ever bag.

For interested buyers, contact Joel Wijangco (@joelwijangco on IG), as most of the shoes are limited edition or made to order.