Earth
Project Attributes
Stylish
Comfortable
Sophisticated
Eco-Friendly
The Process
THE PROJECT
Students were instructed to choose a target user and design a sustainable shoe for them.
RESEARCH
I decided to focus on post-secondary students. I researched their wants and needs, common trends in the fashion industry, and biodegradable alternatives to common shoe materials.
I learned that business casual was trending and that post-secondary students needed business casual shoes to provide comfort and make them look professional.
I also learned that hemp is a great fabric choice for the body of shoes because it can produce a comfortable and breathable canvas fabric. Moreover, I learned that shoe soles can be made of a biodegradable algae foam.
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IDEATION
Based on this research, concepts for a business-casual shoe were generated.
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REFINEMENT
One of the concepts was selected to move forward with. Once the design was finalized, I produced a tech pack for the product.
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PROTOTYPING
My professor had a small shoe last for a women's size six shoe. I needed a last for a men's size ten shoe. I did not want to buy a last for this one-time project, so I borrowed the last from my professor and wrapped it in thick socks and Ducktape to make it bigger.
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Next, I put a layer of masking tape on the last and drew the shoe cut pattern onto it.
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I purchased some fabric from Fabricated and Amazon to make the shoe. I was living in Peterborough, and local stores did not carry black/dark brown canvas, so I purchased white canvas and dyed it.
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I put the tape cutouts on the fabric, cut the fabric, and sewed the pieces together. Then, I pushed in the eyelets and added laces.
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TESTING
The final shoe prototype was given to members of the target user group to be evaluated. All users who evaluated the shoe expressed that it met or exceeded their needs and wants.
TAKEAWAYS
This was the first fabric product I designed. I learned about shoe lasts and how to make technical packages to manufacture fabric products.