In a world where most people are moving towards sustainability, it’s beautiful to see young people recycle to create new trends.
South African musician and fashionista Thando Simelane recycles old shoes to create Nguni sandals known as izimbadada.
Izimbadada are traditionally made from car tyres.
Speaking to the Business Insider, Simelane said as a young person who loved street fashion, he liked izimbadada but the lack of comfort was an issue. He came up with a design that would maintain the look while offering more comfort.
Instead of using a car tyre as a sole, he uses old sneakers such as the Nike’s Air Force 1.
“When I wore them, two hours was enough because my feet would hurt because the rubber underneath doesn’t bend much, so I figured what can we do with this?” he told the publication, referring to the original izimbadada.
He then redesigned the sandals with the help of Katlego Leroy Tsoagong.
“We thought, let’s just merge the two, try an Air Force 1 sole, try a trainer sole, anything that has air technology to see if we can work with this aesthetic, and it kind of worked,” he said.
His sandals even made it to the runway at Durban Fashion Fair 2019, where he partnered with Chu Swannapha to have his sandals paired with the designer’s garments that were being showcased at the time.
Simelane’s love for the Nguni culture is evident in his style. He also wears iziqhaza (Zulu earplugs made from soft wood).