Eco-sneakers made from apple and pineapple waste

Il Made in Italy, beautiful and sustainable It's what unites fashion, design, and environmental awareness, and in this case, it speaks Neapolitan, but also Korean. From the meeting of an energetic Neapolitan product manager and a Korean designer, in fact, sneakers made of fruit and recycled materials were born. They're called ID. EIGHT and they're even friends with bees.

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ECO-SNEAKERS

Entirely sustainable and eco-friendly, the sneakers designed by the Florence-based startup feature innovative packaging: recycled cardboard containing a seed bomb to be planted to grow flowers beloved by bees, thus safeguarding their existence and biodiversity.

ECO-SNEAKERS ID.EIGHT

ID. EIGHT is an eco-sustainable shoe project, launched with a successful crowdfunding campaign of 35 euros, capable of combining beauty and design with a low environmental impact.Made following the principles of the circular economy, according to which every waste can become a resource, they are made with food industry waste and recycled materials: pineapple imitation leather, wine leatherette and apple leatherette, Made from pineapple processing waste, the biopolymerization of grape pomace, and the inedible parts of apples, respectively. The sole, laces, and labels are all made from recycled materials.  The aim of the Italian laboratoryo-coreano is to launch on the market a low environmental impact shoe, made in Italy, with the high added value of a refined design inspired by the 90s, and, above all, unisex. 

SHOES WITH FRUIT RESIDUES

Giuliana Borzillo, 33, and Dong Seon Lee, 42, a couple in life and in the fashion industry, aim to promote with their products not just a purchasing and consumption style, but a profound ethic and value. Starting by freeing sneakers from the concept of "for men and for women": the ID. EIGHT collection, where ID stands for identity and EIGHT, the number eight embodies infinity, circularity and the ability to regenerate, presents two gender-neutral models, suitable for both men and women, in various color variations. These shoes are ethical not only for their concept and production. Every step of the supply chain is strictly monitored: from raw materials to transportation, entrusted to companies that do not exploit workers and respect union rights.

TO KNOW MORE: Piñatex, leather made from pineapple. Eco-friendly, ethical, sustainable, and affordable.

THE ID.EIGHT PROJECT

The eco-sneakers of ID. EIGHT are born with love and from love, in a dual version, one for the world of fashion and footwear and one for the meeting of two cultures and two different biographical realities, born at first sight at a shoe fair in 2017. The fusion and synergy between the two allowed the birth of eco-sustainable sneakers, which are a perfect balance between the dream of Dong, a fashion graduate from Seoul, and that of Giuliana, a master's degree holder at Polimoda in Florence. One, passionate about sneakers, minimal design, and '90s style, the otheralways attentive to sustainability issues.

“ID. EIGHT” is a candidate for the 2021 Non Sprecare Award, in the “Companies” section. To submit your projects, follow the instructions provided. here.

The images are taken from the page Facebook by ID. EIGHT

ECO-SUSTAINABLE FASHION:

• Zerobarracento, the fashion line with no waste, no unnecessary accessories, and no scraps.
• Esketic: the Prato-based brand that focuses on sustainable fashion, in step with the times.
• Spazzuk, a sustainable fashion story starring a woman from Molise. Alessandra has returned to Italy, overcome cancer, and is producing zero-waste clothing (photo)