X
Innovation

The foldable, rollable, biodegradable shoe

MADRID -- One Moment makes 2-millimeter sole shoes that are 'like walking barefoot' and are completely biodegradable.
Written by Jennifer Riggins, Contributor

MADRID--For only ten euros, you can walk barefoot in shoes...more or less. Made in Spain, One Moments are incredibly-thin, biodegradable, feet-hugging shoes, inspired by the indigenous Amazonian people who painted their feet to protect against the rains. These shoes are clearly innovational, but had mixed fashion and application reviews, when SmartPlanet asked people on the street what they thought.

"It looks like your feet would be terribly cold in those," Zuz Nitecka says. "Why not make good quality boots that last years, rather than these thin-soled city boots that fall apart after a month?"

The production process is "100-percent sustainable," with the shoes being made of polymers that originated from vegetables. Nowhere on the site does the company claim the shoes' durability. However, one thing One Moment clearly saves on is shipping and packaging materials, since 30 pairs of these can fit into a normal shoebox.

The number one question that came up was, as Catherine Corbett asks, "What happens if you step on something? Or in something?"

The Web site claims that these shoes are perfect for anyone who wants to make "his work, sport or leisure moment unique and intense." Some suggested uses are at the gym, on a boat, bike or skateboard, or walking on the beach, though the white shoes in that particular advertisement look pretty dirty. The video above shows how the shoes arrive in a small envelope through the mail and how they easily fit on the model's feet, but the video doesn't show them in action, competing with traffic, dirty sidewalks or dog excrement.

The shoes come in seven colors--the colors of a basic Crayola box, minus the brown--and five sizes, starting with children's. Evidently, the shoes stretch to fit and conform to most feet comfortably. All pairs are unisex. The next step for 10M is product customization with logos.

"I'd wear them in a color," Nicole Defusco says, "As something to wear at home when my heels hurt." Considering the Spanish predilection for slippers and distaste for bare feet around the house, believing it causes colds, at-home may be an easy application of the thin-soled shoes.

The design description includes some sort of elastic material that allows for "perfect foot breathing and ventilation" and strongly-gripped soles. The material is 1-millimeter thick around the foot, with a 2-millimeter sole. Most shoes have a minimum of 5-millimeter soles.

"I reckon I could make them work. Maybe in summer with some jean shorts?" Nicky Berge says. "I quite like things that are delicate, not things that are chunky. It would be like wearing socks on the street."

Most people SmartPlanet talked to were not sold on the shoes yet, thinking they appeared rather ugly or cold and impractical, especially for the mostly cobblestone streets of Madrid. However, for ten euros a pair, it is not too risky of a purchase. Would you buy and wear them? Is fashion or the earth more important?

Photos & Video: One Moment

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

Editorial standards