Can you believe how these ‘NIKEs’ above turn into this
or this?
Well, believe it! Thanks to the ingenuity of Dutch designer Elisa Van Joolen, left over NIKE sample shoes were taken then inverted to create new sneakers, which are quite hot.
Since NIKE kicks of past seasons were going to be disposed of anyway, the idea was only natural. But the inversion was a genius premeditation, by removing any branding across the design + revealing different colors + graphics from the internal parts. Elastic straps that hold the tongue in place create stripes down the sides of the shoes + the “sample not for resale” text, the best part I think, printed on the inner forms graphics toward the back. Van Joolen told dezeen, ‘The inversion process allows the seams that are normally hidden within the shoes to emerge. These seams were sown by factory workers, + their presence in the production process is brought to the fore. The new incarnation emphasizes the handwork that is part of these shoes as well, while obscuring or at least de-emphasizing their mass-produced element.’
But Van Joolen doesn’t stop there – she also managed to use the soles cut from the shoes to make flip-flops, punching holes in them + threading laces through so they act like straps, as shown below.
(via dezeen)