Kermit Tesoro’s avant-garde shoes, usually worn by Manila’s fashionable set, have gone global through Lady Gaga’s collaboration with the shopping site Gilt.

And just this week, Tesoro was offered to make shoes for a famous designer for London Fashion Week. “I’m very grateful but I’m feeling the pressure,” he says of the good news. Although it is still in the works, the direction for the shoe collection is leaning towards Tesoro’s Holiday 2011 collection, which had the skull heels.

This young designer has the ability to create shoes like a seasoned artisan.

Here, he shares his two cents’ worth on creating shoes that will knock anyone’s socks off.

Aside from designing clothes, why did you choose to create shoes?

I wanted my clothes to have a story. Shoes punctuate each outfit.

Could you tell us how your stint in the Lady Gaga + Gilt campaign came about?

It’s such an honor to be able to work with Nicola Formichetti’s team. It’s been a year since their team and I have been exchanging thoughts. Thus, my shoes were used in the campaign.

Are you working on any new collections or pieces? If so, what are they?

Yes, I’m working on some but my mind fluctuates, so if I state my vision in mind now, it may not be the same the next minute.

What materials do you usually work with?

I enjoy working with “found” objects and industrial things. I just have that instant desire to manipulate unexpected materials.

Could you tell us about the creative process  that goes into making your shoes?

I always say that if you love a pair enough, you’ll find a way to wear it. So if my clothes or shoes are quite “cold-hearted,” may it be in design or comfort, it’s the individual’s choice to have them. Thus, in a way, he or she deserves to have them. I’m more about the creative side, but I also consider if the shoes are correctly constructed.

What else can we look forward to?

Ironically, a self-mockery of my designs. Or an antithesis of my designs….

For your shoe fix, contact Kermit Tesoro at  (0915) 628-5849.