Footwear today is traditionally made with a blend of natural and synthetic materials, but the 'Kajola' shoe collection takes things in a much different direction by highlighting a totally plant-based form.
Designed by Yussef Agbo-Ola of the Olaniyi Studio, the footwear collection consists of styles made with all-natural materials like clay, volcanic dust, cacao power and more. The shoes will thus naturally curl and decay with time to eventually go back to the earth completely. The collection of footwear is named after an area in Nigeria.
The 'Kajola' shoe collection includes nine designs in all, which feature natural additives like sand, herbs, algae and flowers. The various components are hand cut and sewn using a Japanese shoe patcher sewing machine.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Plant-based Footwear
- Opportunity to explore materials beyond traditional synthetic materials for more sustainable footwear options.
- Natural Additives in Footwear
- Potential to use a variety of organic materials such as sand, herbs, algae and flowers in footwear design for unique textures and patterns.
- Decomposable Fashion
- Creating fashion items that naturally decompose to reduce waste and environmental impact.
Sectors Adopting This
- Fashion and Apparel
- Incorporating plant-based materials in footwear and exploring natural additives in fashion design.
- Sustainable Fashion
- Developing environmentally-friendly fashion alternatives and promoting sustainable practices in the fashion industry.
- Eco-friendly Consumer Products
- Creating products that are easily decomposable and reducing waste in consumer industries.
