Shoes are often thought of as frivolous, but serve an
essential function- protection from the elements.
Students in Stephen Schock’s, a professor of industrial
design at the College for Creative Studies, class are using recycled materials
and creativity to serve the needs of the many homeless people in Detroit. These
shoes are serving a critical need as there are not enough warm shoes available,
leading the homeless to be at high risk for frostbite and amputation, according
to Jennifer
Conlin of the New York Times.
“I saw how many people in Detroit were suffering from
frostbite and trench foot, and with a shortage of winter footwear it seemed the
right product to try to design…It is meant to provide the homeless with a
better option than garbage bags, which they usually use to carry their stuff
and cover their feet,” said Forbes to the New
York Times.
A similar idea came from the University of Michigan’s
integrated product design class, where students came up with using recycled tire
treads and seatbelts to create sandals. The sandals are called Treads Motor
City sandals and were inspired my mats homeless men made from tire treads. The new
design gives these men a new income stream from making the shoes and selling
them to the public, according to Conlin.
What do you think of these two ideas?
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