Real Exotica

Mix and Match Sharon Golan’s Concept Shoes.

When it comes to fashion, and sustainable fashion, shoes may be one of the worst offenders. Not only do shoe fashions change rapidly, but they also tend to wear out faster than our other articles of clothing. Shoe designers and producers have tried to find solutions to this ecological conundrum, with Nike introducing a shoe recycling program and other designers creating multi-functional and multi-fashion shoe designs. The solution, as Israeli designer Sharon Golan proves, does not have to be boring. Making a versatile, sustainable shoe that lasts longer and is lighter on the resources (due to its versatility) can be fun.

Enter Shell 256, Golan’s shoe design with a collection of 16 modular shoe components that can be combined and used to create 256 different variations of shoes.
Exhibited in Jerusalem a couple weeks ago, the shoes are a combination of four separate recycled plastic pieces that are held together with multi-colored silicone rubber bands. Any of the components can be changed.

Sometimes sustainability means not getting bored with the same old, same old, so Shell 256 definitely addresses that issue. (Maybe Golan should team up with the “New Dress a Day” blogger to form year-round fresh and sustainable outfits for the chic ecological woman.)
“The idea was you buy four pieces, this is the amount of pieces you need to create one shoe, ” says Golan. “But if you want to change your look, you can buy only one extra part and it changes the whole look of the shoes.”

“That gives you, the client, more options and it gives the industry, the company, the option to have you as a client all the time,” she pointed out.
Culled from: Green prophet