X.Y.Z. FOOTWEAR

This project was shortlisted by the Global Design Graduate Show in collaboration with GUCCI.

This project was prompted by not only my love for Footwear design but my innate responsibility as a designer to design with sustainable practices and materials in mind.

My love and passion for sustainable design sprung from my wonder about how items are disposed of and constant questioning as to where things end up.

In addition to my love for learning and questioning, application of colour and the consideration of that, whilst creating this project was heavily considered.

X.Y.Z.

THE WHY?

-Initial research - Material testing, Product Landscape and Product autopsy.

-Survey data - 422 person survey data collection.

-Visual data collection - Differentiating a focus group of 40 people’s wishful actions and actual actions.

-Expert interviews - Adidas

Product autopsy.

My starting point of the project was to understand a shoe. Firstly I broke down a boot.

Within this, I found many parts held together by mesh layers held together by glues.

When breaking down the boot, the sole seemed to be the portion where I struggled.

This portion crumbled, and it was extremely challenging to separate these materials.

From this visual observation, I could see almost every shoe component was virtually impossible to keep intact and recycle.

As a designer, I think applying materials and processes sustainably is vital, so this breakdown sprung me forth in my following research.

Material testing.

Using recycled leather scrap to trial wet leather moulding for possible further use in project.

After a portion of time wating for the leather to dry and hold form it did not do so and when uncliped resumed normal form.

Using old boots to trial how a sole could be attached with hardware rather than glues.

holes were punched in the sole and in the fabric to create matching holes for the string.

the leather was thraded as was the string

And the formation of the ideas was seen visually. It was a visual exploration of what could be done with external attachments rather than internal glues.

Product Landscape.

422 person survey data collection.

The initial survey was conducted over Instagram as I knew it would have a great reach. I acknowledge by doing this that my data set is limited to a particular age group being between 18-26. Within this, a smaller data set was created through my focus group chat that sprung from the answers in this survey.

Four hundred twenty-two answers were acquired over 24 hours. The insights from this data analysis were broad, so a focus group chat with 40 people was created as a forum to discuss the answers further snd to gain more significant, more specific insights as to WHY people purchase, keep and dispose of their shoes.

I also wanted to find out more about purchasing these shoes and covering why people cherish specific shoes. I hoped to achieve a better behavioural understanding surrounding wishful action and actual action in doing this.

Differentiating a focus group of 40 people’s wishful actions and actual actions.

In my focus group, I asked to send in images of 1. their most worn and 2. most comfortable shoes.

I then asked the WHY

The answers were all the same, comfort, ease of use and speed when getting out of the house.

I then asked them what lengths they would go to preserve these most worn and comfortable shoes.

The answers were;

“I would go to the ends of the earth to keep my uggs alive” - Jane 22

“I have had my birks for over four years they’re on their last legs, but I can’t part with the” - Andy 23

“I have a collection of birks I’ve kept over the years because I have no clue how to get rid of them, so they sit there with all the soles ripped and unwearable.”- Hannah 24

Expert interviews - Adidas.

Tom Symons - Colour & Materials footwear designer at Adidas

Benjamin Thompsett - Senior Manager Footwear Development Innovation at Adidas

Aaron Craig - Licenced Football Apparel design at Adidas

These interviews were conducted dureing the research phase of this project and have allowed me to interact with experts in the field of colour and materials, engineering and graphic design.

The importance of these interviews was to gain insight into process materials and applicatin.

Each gave different insights into working everyday process surrounding innovation and footwear and apparel design.

The interviews will be followed up with questions surrounding my project during the concepting phase to gain informed validation or support.

Initial Concepting

Here, I quickly sketch and practice existing forms and shapes through to help visualise my own shoe. How it may look and how it might act.

Here i was exploring how might i create a modular sole to attach to existing comfort shoes, to a shoe using hardware style attachments.

Here i was exploring different possibilities of attachment styles to a single piece. I wanted to visualise different types of removable attachments such as a backstrap and toe piece .

Above is trial one using Fusion 360 and its mesh lattice application to try different forms and shapes to test the durability of the form before adding additional pieces and structures to the shoe.

Currently, I am creating a mesh base for my shoe form to create a life cycle for my shoe.

I am exploring 3D printing with a TPU print and exclusive material use and reuse ecosystem.

Some colour palette exploration.

This colour palette exploration was in reference to what was seen in current fashion trends, colours were captured in the Pantone scale and a palette was created for some future refrence.

Mood board and Colourway exploration.

Exploring different current trends surrounding comfort shoes worn outside of the home.

THE HOW?

Design Process

My Design process was predominantly leaning through making. Through working with the material, I began to understand my initial secondary material research, this allowed me, in real time, to edit and better my project constantly.