Re-born Shoes, made from recycled sails, umbrellas, jeans, and sun loungers.

The company's founder, Valentino Masolini , had already thought about it in the 1930s. And in the small town of Gonars , in the province of Udine, he set up his shoemaking business, inspired entirely by recycling, reuse, and repurposing. The three Rs at the foundation of the circular economy . Valentino recovered old soldiers' uniforms, now discarded, and discarded bicycle tires. And with this raw material he created his line of shoes , which were already selling well abroad at the time: Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Hungary. From a shoemaker, Valentino, along with his sons, became an entrepreneur, but throughout this growth path, the imprint of sustainability and the circular economy never faded. On the contrary. It became part of the company's DNA, as demonstrated by one of the company's main sources of supply.

RE BORN SHOES

Used sails, tires, umbrellas, jeans , used beach loungers, towels , and factory leftovers: everything can be reused to create new garments and accessories, including shoes. Unique and original pieces like those produced by Masolini , an Italian shoemaker since 1949, through the Re-Born Shoes project launched in October 2019. The goal: to contribute to the sustainable transformation being driven by the fashion industry.

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SUSTAINABLE FASHION SHOES

The fashion world needs to change direction. The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 20 percent of global water waste , not to mention all the additional emissions from air and sea travel. Not only that, but cotton cultivation is often managed using insecticides and pesticides.

The highly consumerist society we live in forces us to constantly renovate our wardrobes. According to the United Nations, 85 percent of clothing produced ends up in landfill and only 1 percent is recycled. Furthermore, it should be noted that the average consumer purchases 60 percent more clothing than in 2000. More generally, the effects of our consumerist society and the overexploitation of resources are shocking: climate change, deforestation , global warming, and global pollution, to name just a few. Moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle means changing our everyday lives . Starting with the things we wear, like our shoes, we can make a significant contribution to the environment.

RE BORN SHOES MASOLINI

Recycling is becoming essential. We need to move from a linear economy to a circular economy , where waste is the input for new production. This way, resources no longer needed can be used to create and manufacture new objects, like shoes, for example.

A new environmental awareness among producers and buyers, combined with a deeper understanding of the characteristics of the goods we choose to purchase (how and where they are produced, from which materials, under what conditions, and by what means); this information will form the basis of an ethical choice that will have positive impacts not only on the economy but also on our quality of life and our environment.

The Terra Di Tutti project is a candidate for the 2020 Non Sprecare Award. To nominate your projects, follow the instructions here.

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