Sustainable Material Bank for Shoes
I have just started my 5th year at Design School Kolding and I have already finished my first project. It was just a 6 week project - lucky for me. Since my maternity leave, independent studies and an internship, it has been a long time since I have attended courses at the school and it seemed as if I had forgotten how intense these project can actually be. Thankfully, my time away from school has in some way enhanced my work, and I ended up with a project that will be a great advantage for my Master.
One step closer
The assignment was called “One step closer”. The purpose was to prepare the 5 year textile students for our Master project which begins December 1st. An assignment that was perfect for me. In my Master, I will design a shoe collection for kids with the theme value-creating sustainability in collaboration with ecco. It was therefore perfect for me to get 6 weeks to get one step closer to that assignment by making a material bank collecting and making sustainable materials for shoes. It was important for this task that I got an understanding of the shoe which will be beneficial during my Master.
Analyzing companies
I have analyzed companies that work with shoes and sustainability such as Nike, Puma and Patagonia and looked at what they have done and how they have done it. Very interesting to see that none of the companies I looked at has succeeded in making a sustainable fashion brand. It seems to be either or.
Separating shoes
I have separated shoes to see the different layers in a shoe and was actually surprised to see how many parts there is to make a velcro closure, an aspect that will be interesting to investigate further.
Investigating factory waste
I investigated waste where I sewed, printed and embossed leather taken from the factory floor.
The final day
This was my desk with one day left of the assignment. It was quite chaotic. But for once, I actually finished my entire project for the final presentation. Which is new for me. Often, there are last minute preparations for the exam also. But this time I have actually been able to take the week off and spend it with my family.