These sneakers are made from recycled balloons

When we think of pollution, we don’t tend to think of T-shirts, pants, and sneakers as a huge problem. But in fact, the clothing and textile industry is the second largest polluter in the world, second only to oil.

The global fashion industry has a huge part to play in its use of materials such as plastic (found in synthetic fibres), cotton, wool, and leather. With items going in and out of style at an incredibly fast pace, this means that lot of clothing gets disposed and ends up landfills.

A growing number of startups and independent designers are determined to make the fashion industry more environmentally friendly, and use sustainable practices when designing their clothing.

A shoe brand based in Lisbon, Portugal called Undo for Tomorrow has recently released a new sneaker that seeks to do just that! Introducing the Nuven sneaker: a vegan shoe made from recycled materials and features a fun multicoloured sole made from used party balloons!

Super Sneaker

The shoe uses as bamboo for the lining, sustainably sourced Amazon Rainforest rubber for the toe caps, caster oil for the insole, and recycled plastic for the vegan suede outer shell. Cool!

The shoes are also made with super light materials and are water repellent, stretchy, and durable, making them a great everyday kind of shoe.

“Our aim was to come up with a design that combines the comfort you normally see in a performance sneaker with the style and shape of casual shoes, so you could wear it on different occasions,” said designer and co-founder Patrick Dohmann.

Undo for Tomorrow is making their sustainable footwear available through a crowdfunding system to responsibly ensure that they only make enough to meet the demand. This is a great idea that avoids overproduction and extra waste!

With this sneaker, Undo for Tomorrow has proven that recycled and upcycled materials are just as durable and stylish as new ones. We hope larger sneaker companies take their lead as we work towards a greener tomorrow.