Footwear that Never Ends and Only Changes - Yanko Design

A recent winner of the 2022 James Dyson Award, the Layer shoe explores modularity and sustainability without sacrificing way. Designed using biodegradable and recycled materials, users tin can customize their shoe from the get-go and keep to repair and reimagine their footwear to keep upwards with trends or adapt to their irresolute style over time.

The production arrives with the uppers, soles, insoles, and fastening laces fully assembled. If i of the components wears out, users can supercede merely that role. Its unique lacing organization requires the user to fasten the upper and sole when replacing any of the 3. This encourages the wearer to take a greater connectedness to the footwear in which they've had a hand in making. Using a convenient online ordering platform, users can cipher through a selection of dissimilar recycled parts in a variety of different colors and finishes to create a look that's all their ain.

Designer: Evan Stuart

INSPIRATION

Recently, "Fast Mode" trends have resulted in shoes condign seasonal, cheap and disposable products. However, at what price to our planet and our order? Unfortunately, it is a fact that it is incredibly hard to recycle footwear. Each twelvemonth, roughly 22.v billion pairs of shoes are made and 300 million pairs are discarded to landfill because they cannot be recycled. Most casual footwear is designed to be bonded and glued together in manufacture but are not designed to exist repaired. Layer was designed equally a possible solution to reduce footwear waste. It is a argument to the industry that sustainable footwear is a feasible alternative.

DESIGN PROCESS

This projection required an in-depth understanding of the current issues of footwear recycling, production industry and it's end of life. Initial enquiry began with several interviews with manufacture experts in fabric recycling and multiple site visits were arranged to view textile recycling companies. Over the class of two months of inquiry, process studies and focus groups it was discovered that about footwear waste is generated because shoes cannot be easily separated back to individual materials. With this key insight, ideation and concept generation began. The importance of developing ideas in tandem with verifying them in a physical form was essential. Over 43 physical working models were explored to design a viable zipper machinery. A lacing method was chosen. Initial prototypes were generated using EVA foam and paper-thin reinforcing. These low fidelity prototypes were essential in agreement basic footwear principles. Later on analyzing and improving the design, a high allegiance functional prototype was created past utilizing various design techniques including CAD, 3D printing, molding and casting. Polyurethane was used to create flexible soles, while all other materials are the intended final materials and sourced from suppliers specializing in recycled polyester fabrics."

HOW It WORKS

Based on the idea that footwear waste can be eliminated from landfills around the globe, Layer allows users to repair and customise their shoes to proceed up with trends. Past creating products from biodegradable plastics and recycled polyester fabrics this decreases the overall impact of the production. Initially, the product will be purchased by the client and arrive fully assembled. Comprising of iv central components: The Uppers, Soles, Insoles and a Fastening Lace, the shoe is totally repairable. In fourth dimension, as parts article of clothing, tear and date, the user can replace private parts with ease past ordering new ones online. A lacing system is used to sew the uppers to the shoe soles. Kickoff at a start bespeak, the user threads the lace through both parts until the reaching the endpoint. These endpoints fasten the parts together, preventing the lace from coming undone.