Trashion: Shoes Made from Upcycled Plastic and Other Waste Materials
Plastic Soul by Rose In Good Faith
I would have never guessed that shoes made from sex toys could make headlines. When I learned about Rose In Good Faith and what they accomplished in 2022 with their sex-positive footwear, I had to swallow my doubt and skepticism. The 'Stop Fucking Mother Nature' campaign turned heads with its clever recycling approach and creative marketing. The brand was bold enough to compare the shoe to some of the most sought-after sneakers in the market. In an attempt to protect mother nature, it took scientists two years to develop the sexy shoe and test its functionality with consumers. It must have been worth the wait.
The shoe made from recycled material turns taboo products into a mode for comfortable movement and foot protection. It overtly subverts our morals while raising awareness for environmental preservation. This genius-level innovation and marketing is one way to get consumers' attention. Rose In Good Faith makes transparency sexy. It's a story worth telling someone, bringing the world closer to circularity. I'm not suggesting brands embellish their sustainability efforts, but I am begging them to find appropriate ways to encourage circularity.
Award-winning, cutting edge design.
On Running takes a more practical approach to circularity. Their sustainable action is baked into a premium membership model that allows members to run, recycle and repeat. The Cloudneo, a lightweight, fully recyclable running shoe, is made from castor beans. On Running proves that sustainability does not sacrifice high performance. For runners, there is nothing like a shoe that makes you feel like you can dig deeper and go further. It dispels the misconception that products made from recycled material come with trade-offs.
On Running does an excellent job of creating a supply of running shoes for avid runners through circularity. Is there an opportunity to talk to the sneakerhead audience in this way?
Something incredibly novel and clever about marketing turns us from consumers to deeply invest followers. Sneakerheads are a perfect example of a cohort who would enjoy collecting hard-to-find footwear. They might find shoes made from orange skins or old car seats more compelling than the same sneaker dropped in a new colorway. What we're talking about is reframing the definition of waste. Humans produce more than 34 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste annually.
I love the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." One of my favorite solutions to our waste problem is through partnerships. Partnerships with brands outside the industry are a massive opportunity to make a positive impact and create desirability. Shoe companies should start as soon as possible to forge unique alliances that are mutually beneficial for the brands and the ecosystems they operate within. Brands like Asics have already begun pushing the boundaries of collaboration. They debuted the first sneaker made using recycled airbags and steering wheels—a project done in partnership with a member of the Toyota Group.
In conclusion, our things aren't done when we are done with them. Waste could be used more often in creating products we use daily, and those opportunities might be found in unexpected places. If brands can look outside the bounds of their industry, there might be partnerships that make more sense to create brand loyalty and sustain a healthy business.
Photography by Rose In Good Faith
