Unlike most designers today, footwear designer Ruthie Davis isn’t looking to the past for inspiration – she’s looking to the future. For her new lines of shoes and boots, Ms. Davis uses industrial materials such as titanium, carbon fiber, and chrome to create sexy stilettos and four-inch wedge heels. Forget the hippie-gypsy look on the streets this summer: These are shoes for a sexy Judy Jetson.

“I love futurism,” Ms. Davis said. “I like silver and minimalism – not browns, woods, and thrift shops.”

Ms. Davis’s shoes – sold under the brand Davis – are immediately eye-catching for their aggressive aesthetic. Shiny in metallics and black, the shoes feature heels reliably three- to five-inches high. Some strappy sandals have a feminine look, embellished by bands of Swarovski crystals. Others are sporty, with bands of stretch-rubber and smooth buckles that have the look of seat-belt latches. And the knee-high black boots made of metallic kidskin: Let’s just say that no one is going to mess with you in those.

But it’s not just the look that makes Davis noteworthy; it’s the materials. The wedge heels on the open sandals, pumps, and ankle boots are made of shiny black titanium. The mold for that heel alone weighs 2,700 pounds. On the foot bed of the skimpy sandals is the same leather material one finds on tennis grips to keep sweaty hands from slipping.

The curved carbon-fiber heels used in Davis’s bronze Mary Janes and pumps taper into a stiletto shape, but are so strong they can withstand the challenges of Manhattan living. “If it gets stuck in a subway grate, the heel will not break,” Ms. Davis said. The ideas behind these shoes reflect Ms. Davis’s own style and interests. An avid skier and tennis player, she was intrigued with the idea of contrasting high performance and technology with high style. It’s a combination that she finds lacking in fashion today: “You have a girl with the latest Blackberry, but she’s wearing an old T-shirt.”

Ms. Davis’s love of modern architecture also contributed to the concept behind her designs. Ask her about her favorite buildings and you’ll get an ultra-contemporary list, ranging from the new Richard Meier building on the West Side to Richard Neutra houses.

For inspiration, she thinks about those structures and asks herself: “Who is the girl living in that house? What is she wearing?”

Ms. Davis, 40, graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in English and Visual Arts. After getting an MBA, she landed a marketing job at Reebok. She later worked at Ugg Australia, Simple shoes, and Tommy Hilfiger, but ultimately decided to branch out on her own.

“I had the idea for titanium shoes for years,” she said. Using titanium to manufacture women’s shoes isn’t exactly a standard practice. In her research she could find only one other instance of a shoe with that material; it was for thoroughbred racehorses. As she searched for a factory team that would be willing to build the shoes, she found two problems. “At the factories that make golf clubs or airplane parts, they said, ‘We don’t make shoes,'” she said. And even if they did, the factories were set up to make an extremely high volume of their products, rather than a small run. “I’m amazed that it happened. I had to really convince the people who run the factory.”

Sure, another metal would have been easier to work with – but a lot less fun. “Titanium can be super-strong, light, and thin. You can’t get that out of plastic, or it would be a big, clunky, heavy thing,” she said. “You can make really interesting shapes.”

Prices for Davis shoes range from $385 to $575. Davis is available at B8 Couture (27 Little West 12th St., 646-662-4087) and Otto Tootsi Plohound (38 E. 57th St., 212-231-3199, and additional locations).