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Basura and Yerba Madre create shoes "literally made out of dirt"
Beverage company Yerba Madre has worked with New York-based design studio Basura to create shoes made out of soil that crumble and spread wildflower seeds as the wearer walks. The Dirt Shoes project is part of an effort to "pique people's interest" in the yerba mate company since it recently rebranded from Guayaki and to The post Basura and Yerba Madre create shoes "literally made out of dirt" appeared first on Dezeen.
Beverage company Yerba Madre has worked with New York-based design studio Basura to create shoes made out of soil that crumble and spread wildflower seeds as the wearer walks.
The Dirt Shoes project is part of an effort to "pique people's interest" in the yerba mate company since it recently rebranded from Guayaki and to serve as a "statement of regeneration, circularity, and commitment to give more back to the planet than we take", according to Yerba Madre.
The Dirt Shoes feature a silhouette akin to a clog, with impressions such as a textured outsole nose and midsoles pressed onto the exterior.
They are made out of a marbled mixture of soil and "some organic fibres" that's held together with Acacia gum, or tree sap, and peppered with wildflower seeds along the sole.
"The aim was to create the most surprising shoe," Basura founder Rajeev Basu told Dezeen. "They are literally made out of dirt."
"The idea of a highly-crafted, stylish sneaker you actually want, that happened to be made of soil, felt like a fun way to bring the idea to life."
"It was a double engineering challenge in that you want people to actually be able to walk in them, but, for the shoes to also reliably break apart soon after so they can give back to the Earth, releasing the wildflower seeds."
Basura used low-impact manufacturing techniques to make the shoes, using 3D-printed moulds, but ultimately crafting and finishing them by hand.
"Every shoe is handmade, unique, and behaves differently," said Basu.
According to the studio, the Dirt Shoes last for a couple of minutes when the wearer is walking in them before they crumble off the feet in small chunks.
Their material make-up also makes them "100 per cent biodegradable".
Other recent shoes projects include a sneaker made out of a thermoplastic material that can be knitted, 3D-printed and welded and a shoe printed with ink containing living algae that is capable of absorbing carbon dioxide from the air.
The photography is courtesy of Yerba Madre
The post Basura and Yerba Madre create shoes "literally made out of dirt" appeared first on Dezeen.
