Skip to main content

Would you buy a pair of shoes made from coffee waste?


When life gives you coffee beans, make sneakers.

Helsinki-based Vietnamese designers Son Chu and Jesse Tran have managed to create high-quality shoes made of used coffee grounds and recycled plastic. The company, called Rens Original, says the kicks are waterproof, light, durable and odor-resistant.

A pair of these unisex slip-ons weighs about 460 grams – 300 grams of that is coffee. The equivalent of six discarded plastic bottles is also used in each pair. They're made by infusing the used coffee grounds with the plastic bottle pellets. Once infused, this material is then spun into a polymer yarn where it is then knitted onto a waterproof membrane.

So if you want to help the environment while shopping for fashionable kicks, perhaps Rens is perfect for you.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

James DeRosso's ceramic monsters

I really like these whimsical ceramic creatures by James DeRosso. Yes, they have bulging eyes and toothy grins, but they're not scary at all. The Portland-based artist started making cute monsters while he was a student to jokingly create gargoyle-like guardians for the kiln. After other students kept taking his quirky little figures, he realized there was a market for them. "I'm enjoying the whole monster making niche," James says. "It's amazingly gratifying to be doing ceramics full time and especially to be a teacher introducing kids to the joy of clay." Be sure to visit his website and like his Facebook page for the latest monster news.

Julia Lohmann's Highly Imaginative Approach to Product Design

Chess pieces made from animal bones, cowhides reconstructed into benches, lamps created from preserved sheep stomachs, large-scale installations made of edible seaweed: the work of Julia Lohmann is truly unconventional. Born in Germany, Julia uses her materials in a way that transcends their original purpose, creating true art. I made a list of furniture I would buy if I had an unlimited budget, and the Cow Bench is one of them. People say these headless bovine seats look really nice, but wait until they find out they're draped in rawhide. Sitting on one, you feel artificial ribs. Julia studied graphic design at the Surrey Institute and then design products at the Royal College of Art in London. Her work is part of major public and private collections worldwide and has received awards, bursaries and support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the British Council, Jerwood Contemporary Makers, D&AD, Stanley Picker Gallery, the Arts Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. ...

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.