Parents have probably already dreamed of just such a thing, and now it’s about to become reality. No more endless — and expensive — shopping sessions trying to find new shoes for your little ones. A British brand is currently working on an expandable shoe system that grows with your child. The project, which has just received a £250,000 boost, aims to reduce the waste inherent in children’s fashion.
Every four months or so, it’s the same refrain… Children’s shoes need to be changed as their feet grow at a crazy fast rate. And while the second-hand market allows consumers to resell the less worn models, most pairs of sneakers, sandals, and booties purchased for our young offspring end up in the dump. In the UK, out of the 80 million shoes bought every year, more than eight out of ten end up in the trash; something that pushed the founder of the Pip & Henry brand, Jeroo Doodhmal, herself a mother, to introduce the concept of more sustainable shoes, and go even further.
Behind the brand Pip & Henry is the story of a mother who quickly became aware of just how much impact children’s fashion has on the planet and, after much research, decided to take part in the transformation of the second most polluting industry in the world. The idea? To change the way shoes are made and then destroyed, through a responsible brand that relies mainly on sustainable materials and packaging (organic cotton, pineapple leaf fiber), and a free recycling program to recuperate worn-out models. But faced with the mountain of waste generated by the many pairs of shoes worn each year by the little ones, it has chosen to go even further with an innovation that should truly change parents’ lives.
Double the lifespan of shoes
The shoe brand Pip & Henry is working on an expandable shoe that would adapt to children as they grow. The shoe is designed to offer the possibility of being lengthened by one and a half sizes. The objective is to wear out the shoes as much as possible and not to have to replace them — just — for a question of size. This innovation is based on the principle of a stretchable material and/or sole, and is intended for children through to seven years of age, a period during which feet grow particularly fast. This mechanism would double the life of the shoes, as Jeroo Doodhmal explained to British publication The Daily Mail.
The innovation is currently under study, and the founder hopes it could come to retail sometime in 2023. Progress on the project is expected to accelerate thanks to a £250,000 endowment received by the brand, which is among four winners of UK retailer John Lewis’s Circular Future Fund, which supports “trailblazing ideas and innovations that can accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy.”
While Pip & Henry’s ‘classic’ shoes are currently priced at around £60 (about US$75), you’ll need to spend an extra £20 (US$25) to afford these even more sustainable designs, which could inspire many others in the children’s fashion industry.
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