Look at the shoes on that fungi!

More and more companies have been trying to figure out ways to create sustainable clothing since the environmental impacts of “fast fashion” prove to be harming the planet. 

And now this “shoe of the future” is taking it to the next level by being made out of some… interesting materials.

Don’t throw away that dog hair!

 

German designer Emilie Burfeind has come up with a creative, earth-friendly shoe called the Sneature (a mix of the words “sneaker” and “future”). It’s a sock-shoe that’s knitted from dog hair collected after grooming. It even has a mushroom-based sole!

Regular sneakers are normally made up of over 12 different components, which makes them difficult to disassemble and recycle. But Burfeind’s future-forward “kicks” aim to make this a problem of the past.

Burfeind stated she not only wanted the shoe to be sustainable, “but also the manufacturing process, which has a major impact on the ecological footprint of the product. The idea was to develop a comprehensive sustainable design in the field of footwear.”

There’s no mismatching these socks…

The shoe is designed to look like a seamless sock to reduce the number of materials used in production. First, the dog hair is collected from a crowd-sourced group of dog owners. Next, it’s spun into a high-quality yarn called Chiengora.

(Don’t worry… no dogs were harmed in the making of these shoes!)

To create the upper part of the sock-shoe, Sneature uses 3D-knitting technology. Whereas 3D-printing uses melted plastic filament to create solid shapes, the design of the shoe uses warps and wefts to create a weave that bonds everything together.

Every shoe can be created in one “print” during the knitting process, reducing overall waste.

Then, the shoe is dunked into a natural rubber material to make it water-repellant.

Finally, the mushroom part has one sole purpose… to be the padding on the bottom of the shoe.

To make it 100% biodegradable, the mushroom part can be reused while the other fibers of the shoe can be separated and spun into new yarn.

A growing fashion trend…

 

At the moment, this concept has no plans to be manufactured or marketed – yet. The Sneature was thought of for Burfeind’s diploma at the Offenbach University of Art and Design from where she has recently graduated.

But, it serves as an example of how we can use naturally sustainable products to create new innovative fashion concepts.

Large brands like Adidas and Nike are working on creating sustainable products in a world that’s transitioning to all-natural products and is expected to be eye-catching in the fashion world.

Would you wear the Sneature if it ever became a real shoe? If Burfeind can think of the concept for it, why are other companies not doing the same right now?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!