. Swiss-army knife cupsole sneaker.

. Upcycled 75% Recycled Cotton 25% Hemp

. Post-production natural mineral dye.

. 40% Natural rubber SBR sole.

. Flat cotton laces with upcycled metal aglet.

. Raw edges with bias cut trim.

. Removable recycled cork insole with ten toe message.

We delivered the first production of sneakers Made in Portugal to Groundcover NY this week. The "Schema" is a genderless sneaker made entirely out of plant-based materials and components sourced from Spain and Portugal. This first capsule is presented in three colours: an untreated ecru that is as natural a natural shoe can be and two mineral dip-dyed propositions, in a faded black and a deep green.

It took us almost 1 year to deliver this project, from r&d to the goods shipping. An extensive process encompassing the painstaking selection of key materials, selecting and testing natural pigments and observing material behaviour under physical and chemical tests was underway some time in March 2023. By the time industrialisation was under control, specially with the post-finish stage of dip-dying the shoes, production was finished and delivered in a flash.

Sustainable starts here

When focusing on local suppliers we are closer to partners we know and understand, and with whom we share common goals.

When we first discussed working together, Avery was quick to mention the need to prioritize working with local suppliers, those that are closer to the production facility. He told us that he had experienced the laborious process of importing raw materials from Europe to the US before, and that he understood the impact such a distance makes in terms of costs, the harm to the environment and the exhausting consequences of the cause-effect resulting from mistakes and delays. 

Disruptions and shortages in the supply chain account for one of the top pressures affecting development timelines and production forecasts.

We always try to work with local suppliers and tirelessly source the right material or component, to answer our clients needs, to match and/or better their demands, be it a "Horween Chromexcel" leather, a "Nike Cortez" type sole or a 100% recycled cotton twill. 

Being close to our partners not only cuts considerable costs but also helps meet ESG targets for everybody involved.

Sustainable practices

What we learned from working this small capsule is that going full Bio, Recycled and/or Upcycled should be 100% achievable for any brand.

Researching into making it a reality should be a priority for new designers and brands. This comes at a cost both in terms of material limitation, high costs of some specific components and extra time spent sourcing for new suppliers and selecting and trying these novel materials... but such practices should become an essential part of every up and coming brand that has a younger consumer target, for the much-needed heightening of responsibility and clarity over process and materials used in our fashion products today is of paramount importance.

Upcycling is all around us

Upcycling alone should be a priority.

Making use of what’s already available in stock in warehouses not only greatly helps with the economics of everybody involved, but also does a great job for brand equity. 

Recently I visited a leading textile company making shirting for one of our clients and they showed me around their state-of-the-art, partly robotized warehouse, a perfectly clean and multi-zone conditioned environment that ensures perfect temperature and humidity to older materials.

They told me it’s part of their environment policy to always show existing materials and deadstock to clients with new developments, they have over €2M in materials in there... and these need a new life.

In the shoe game there are two main avenues when it comes to new product development. As a designer you either work for an established brand with signature styles that are the most popular and never change (much) or you work for a fresh contemporary brand that follows trends and wants to show new stuff every other season.  

For sure it is different working with the former, for which you mostly have to tweak a little detail on the upper or play with a new palette of suede colors. This should be the perfect setting to practice upcycling right? but there's a challenge: If sales projections for such products are above the limited quantity of available material then it will not be considered for fear of not being able to deliver on sales.

The latter, being smaller and more niche could obviously do much better in that respect, but they are usually more concerned with disrupting the norm through novel propositions and deadstock is not the way to go for fear of deja vú.