top of page
Soled
Brief
A collaborative project with two other students. Create a template for people in less developed countries to make their own footwear using local materials available to them.
 |  The case study chosen was Rwanda, even though this is one of the smallest countries in Africa it is one of the most densely populated. From thorough research it became apparent that a lack of footwear was leading to diseases caught through the feet. |  Rwanda has an abundance of tyres, a durable, flexible, waterproof material, which was suitable to be used for the sole of the shoe. Burlap sacks (used to import and export their produce) and hemp rope were other accessible materials that would be used to complete the footwear. |
|---|---|---|
 Cutting tyres is a regular activity completed by the locals. Below shows the process of pealing back the tread using a knife. |  From our previous designs we narrowed the selection down to these four, we found the tyres to be very durable and wanted to combine the sole and the toe of the shoe together. |  Testing the product in a variety of environments including mud, sand and grass, we were able to see which parts of the shoes were uncomfortable and thus were able to improve on the design. |
 Through many design alterations and product testing the footwear was developed to reach a final design. There is minimal stitching ensuring the shoe is quick and easy to assemble, air holes on the top of the shoe to allow the feet to breath and a hemp strap at the back to keep the foot in place. |  |  The tread would be stripped off the tyre and the template, created from recyclable polypropylene, would be placed directly on the tyre piece. |
 The template shows a variety of shoe sizes, the user can find their shoe size by placing their foot on the template. Once their shoe size is determined, the user can follow the step by step illustrations and using the list of accessible tools to cut out the sole of the shoe. |  The template would be sent out and distributed through a charity, the concept is open source and has the ability to be transferred online as well as being a physical product. |
bottom of page