August 3rd, 2005
These boots were made for Recyclin’
Shoes are not really something that I give much thought to. If they hurt, are too high or too impractical, I’m back to my trustee old trainers in no time. However, I have some friends who are well on their way to emulating the footwear cliche of Imelda Marcos, although they’re nowhere near opening their own musuem. The concept of recycling shoes has something that has never really occured to me, even though I was a charity shop queen when I was younger - and I don’t mean “recycled” as in buying a pair of Granny shoes in Barnardoes and trying to convince yourself they’re “vintage”. A friend sent me a link to Worn Again, a environmentally sound shoe company that recycles materials to make new shoes. Ingredients include everything from old jackets, car seat leather and coat buttons to ex-military parachutes, mens’ suits, prison blankets and hand towels.
Great idea all round. In fact I think they could take their environmentally conscious stance a step further and go the GAA route. They could start advertising charity or anti-sweatshop slogans instead. Personally I’d tweak it a little bit and go into business with Holy Moly. They’ve expanded their Make Bono History T-shirts to include Make Coldplay History. Who wouldn’t want to kick stuff for the hell of it or scuff their shoes with Chris Martin’s head on it?