Post Adidas

for Adidas

Adidas invited Simone Post to design a rug made from worn sport shoes. These shoes exist in large quantities all around the world, therefore this is a very interesting waste flow to turn into new products. But is it possible to give these old worn and dirty shoes a new and useful second life?

The German based company I:CO collects used clothes and shoes worldwide. They recycle unwearable sport shoes into little rubber pallets. Simone took this raw material to experiment with for the Adidas rugs.

Apart from pliability and strength, the aesthetics of the rug were a challenge as well. On Simone’s request I:CO divided the rubber pallets in black and white hues. In this way it was possible to create a very graphic image that provides the rugs with the typical Adidas look. She reinterpreted the distinctive stripes of the brand and designed an effective pattern and turned the rugs into an attractive and fresh looking product, nothing like the old and worn shoes. 

If you look from far you see a graphic black-and-white pattern but viewed up-close all the original colour varieties of the former sportshoes appear. 

The rugs are a great test case to explore working with recycled shoes and the different ways to process this material. The result is a wonderful series of prototypes. The knowledge obtained in the process opens up many more application possibilities.

Nothing is impossible! Let’s say, to be continued.

ClientAdidasServicesProduct DesignYear2019PhotographyRonald SmitsExhibitedAdidas Store Paris Champs-Élysées PartnerI:COPublicationswww.dezeen.com