We love innovative Kickstarter campaigns such as TireFlops! TireFlops are flip flops that use old tires for the outsoles. By deconstructing the tires, the TireFlops team have found a way to upcycle tire soles into footwear. What a fantastic concept!
The modern tire was invented in 1839 by Charles Goodyear. Ever since then tires have evolved to become super high tech, with amazing physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Everyday thousands of tires are disposed of around the world. What if these tires could be put to good use instead? That’s what TireFlops does. By deconstructing the material instead of grinding it up or melting it down, the properties are retained when the tires are upcycled. Using tires for footwear makes perfect sense. After all, tires were created for their grip and traction!
TireFlops have been created by a group of engineers and researchers called GomaVial. By deconstructing the tires, this team has found a way to effectively repurpose them for footwear.
TireFlops’ mission is to create high tech flip flop sandals in a responsible and sustainable manner. They are a cool and simple piece of footwear with an outsole that has been on the road, exploring, and now it’s ready to go on your feet!
TireFlops have found a way to put old tires to a new use under your feet. The rest of the flipflop has also been designed with durability and quality in mind. The rubber strap has more elasticity than the traditional PVC ones. This lends itself to extra grip and comfort. The foamy part of the flipflops has been specially chosen to reduce sliding when in contact with water. This means TireFlops are perfect for use by the pool, shower or beach. They’ll also leave really cool sand prints!
TireFlops are a current Kickstarter project. Click here to support them and their cool new concept for sustainable footwear.
Epic, but I want to give a mention to Maasai people (and other tribes/groups/individuals), who have been making shoes like this for a long, long, time…great minds, and I feel we ought to acknowledge their amazing ingenuity.
This is a great initiative, but it’s by no means the first. The Maasai have been making their sandals from tires for years. Maybe you can learn a bit from their styles? They walk more than anyone in the west, and I’ve had my own pair for about 6 years now, no problems at all.. but this is with western-style use, not Maasai 10km or more a day use.
Peace
TireFlops are a little bit uncomfortable but they are so trendy it is hard to find those old school flip-flops. But the story was interesting, also the pictures are like in a story of the adventures of the TireFlops 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Have you tried a pair on Chelsea? They seem to have been constructed for comfort in mind so we are surprised to hear that..
So good idea !!
As a retired RN, I can’t help but wonder what toxins the human skin, pet mouths/fur, and living environments (flooring surfaces, especially) are being exposed to when placed in extended contact with these upcycled flip-flops. My guess would be that these “modern” flip-flops are more toxic than standard ones, since the tires they’re constructed from have been exposed to countless miles of pavement, car/truck fumes and operating liquids, rock salt/deicers, and other environmental poisons – in addition to the chemical goo that goes into the tires’ original composition.
If a chemical analysis were to ever be independently conducted on them, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover dozens of dangerous substances leaching out, in various forms (gases, solid particulates, and liquid gels). There are good reasons why tires can’t be disposed of with your kitchen garbage and are treated as hazardous waste products. These flip-flops seem far too great a bio-hazard risk for me to want to pursue wearing them.
IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO CUTOUT??
It is quite interesting all the things that we can do with the tires instead of putting them in the street is better to reuse them as you teach us.