April 7, 2021
Recrafted Work: Helen Kirkum Studio Creates Bespoked Upcycled Sneakers
“We repurpose recycled sneakers into one-off pairs for you to wear and to treasure. Working with Traid, London we rescue some of their unusable odd sneaker donations which we use as our raw materials.”(source)
Helen Kirkum, returns to collaborate with Reebok after the success of the first collection released in 2019. The designer’s sustainable and forward-looking approach has led her to reuse the materials of previous collection, “Sole Fury”, and to create 20 pairs of Zig Kinetica II by hand – source
"I think now we're in this stage where [climate and the environment] is becoming quite a crisis
and everybody has a responsibility to do their part," she says. "I think not only is it about trying to be more resourceful with your materials, source more sustainable materials, but also education is so important because we've grown up in this industry of mass consumerism. Things are changing and it's important for people to understand how to go about this change in lifestyle.
Authenticity is important in any creative discipline, be it pottery, writing, or product design, and this is a view Kirkum echoes. "Just always approach it from your own perspective," she says. "However you see or feel about the product or whatever at the time, that's the emotion you have to put into it because that's what's going to give you the most authentic result."
