Orange Peel Footwear
Designing Shoes from Fruit Waste with Aesthetic Attributes of Sustainability
S. Ito (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Dr. S (Sepideh) Ghodrat – Mentor (TU Delft - Emerging Materials)
M. Filippi – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Form and Experience)
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Abstract
This project aimed to develop a biodegradable material that communicates its sustainability to consumers through its aesthetic attributes and to apply this material to shoe design.
In the current market, most biodegradable shoes do not express their natural origin through their appearance (tactile and visual properties). For instance, leather-like bioplastic material made from fruit waste, used by some shoe brands, mimics conventional leather with embossed texture, providing no indication to consumers that it is sustainable. While this approach of mimicking conventional materials might be effective for societal acceptance due to its familiar look, I strived to find an alternative approach.
Thus, this project starts with a simple question: What if a pair of biodegradable shoes looked "natural"? Would they communicate their sustainability through their appearance? Would they seem too wild?
To explore these questions, I embarked on the journey of developing biodegradable materials from scratch and constructing shoes with them. Through the research process, a Material Experience Vision was formulated, guiding me through the development of the material and the shoe design: I want people to recognise the material to be biodegradable as well as compostable through visual and tactile properties that people commonly associate with "naturalness" while maintaining their perception of quality. Additionally, I also want people to find the material to be interesting or unique to wear as a shoes with the propeties of natualness.
The research concluded with the evaluation of the proof of concept—a final prototype consisting of a pair of biodegradable shoes made from orange peels and mandarins. This evaluation focused on participants' perceptions of quality and naturalness, involving eight participants in the assessment.