Industrial - Bachelors
A Vans shoe that the user can re-sole themselves to create a connection between the owner and shoe as well as extend the products life cycle. This solution incorperates new material recycling systems that can be used for future Vans products. The shoes were also made to get people talking about fast fashion waste and product life cycles.
The sole has 2 rows of hooks. The larger lower hooks curve into the counter of the shoe (The flat rubber material that the upper is stitched to). The hooks are covered by a layer of canvas and an insole so the wearer doesn’t feel the hooks.
The top row of hooks are staple like clips that run around the top to keep the upper from opening up.
The silhouette of the shoe is designed around the Vans Authentic with a smaller toe area. This was designed so the user can navigate the tool around the inside of the shoe to pull it apart easier.
The tool is designed with 2 ends. The hook side is designed to pull out the clips from the shoes by latching on and then rotating downwards. The other end of the tool is designed to push the hooks back into the shoes by rolling the tool up.
The grip has the famous Vans waffle sole embedded into the grip.
The package comes with the pair of shoes in a regular Vans box, the box has a note on the inside of the lid written by the Vans ‘Ground Up’ team to inform the users of their new product. The shoes are then wrapped in paper. A smaller Vans box sits on top of the shoes which houses the tool and the clips for the shoes.
The owners of the shoes are now more connected to their product because they can resole their shoes themselves. The resoling function of the shoes was designed to make the soles last longer but also allows the owners to customize their shoes by changing sole colours or materials. Vans can continue to profit from the shoes as people can buy new soles to change out.
Studying Industrial Design and Minoring in Interaction Design. Passionate about sustainable design and understanding how people use products.