PETERSON STOOP – A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO FOOTWEAR PRODUCTION

 

amsterdam-based brand peterson stoop pioneers a sustainable approach to footwear production and design. founded by jelske peterson and jarah stoop, and supported by a small team of interns and artisans, the brand gives a second life to discarded sneakers.

 

‘having built up a solid knowledge of traditional techniques and durable materials through working at a shoe repair shop and leather tannery, we established peterson stoop,’ reads their webpage. ‘through our experience in shoe repair we experienced that sneakers are discarded and replaced rather than repaired. in 2016 we developed our current concept; and conceived a way to tackle the issue of waste in the footwear industry.’

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
images by peterson stoop

 

DECONSTRUCTING VINTAGE SNEAKERS AND REBUILDING THEM WITH NATURAL MATERIALS

 

by focusing on every step of footwear’s production process, perterson stoop deconstructs vintage sneakers and rebuilds them with natural materials, including cork and leather. by producing desirable and ethical footwear, they intend to steer the industry to a more sustainable future.

 

to create the shoes, peterson stoop has settled a partnership with a social company based in france that specializes in collecting, sorting and recycling all kinds of textiles and shoes. at their biggest sorting center, 50 tons of textiles and clothing are sorted out daily, from which 5 tons are shoes. the team drives and picks up directly the shoes and then transform them into new ones.

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
vintage asics, new lining

 

their latest project, which is currently in a preorder phase, is the PS SYNERGY MULE, a shoe that combines the sole of a birkenstock sandal with NIKE AF1’s and adidas stan smith toppers. the pattern pieces are stitched together to create what they call a new skin. the resulting piece (shown in the mean image of this article) is a one-of-a-kind mule which showcases the hand of the first maker in the unpicked stitches. the drop is limited to 100 pieces and all are numbered and come with a handwritten card and recycled packaging.

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
cork handshaped into wedges

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
pairs of vintage NIKE blazers in different tints of blue

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
the stitched new skin

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
NIKE AF1 high with leather cup sole

peterson stoop gives a second life to old, discarded sneakers
second life shoes in process

 

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project info:

 

name: peterson stoop

type: giving second life to old shoes