Annie Purdy's Debut Footwear Collection Reshapes UK Waste Into Dynamic Kicks
The emerging London-based designer sourced discarded trash from British hiking trails.
Hundreds of hungry fashion students graduate from London’s top universities every year, looking to break into the capital’s ever-expanding creative landscape. Such can be said for Annie Purdy, who recently graduated from London College of Fashion‘s BA footwear design course.
The designer wants to enter the footwear industry with inventive designs that embrace sustainable practices. Purdy’s debut collection salvages junk left on British hiking trails. Titled “Waste,” the offering utilizes discarded umbrellas, jackets, waterproof bags, and food containers to create boots and sneakers for cyclical wear.
Purdy has collaborated with London’s eco-conscious imprints Are You Mad and Re=Comb to source recyclable plastic scraps for every pair. The padded kicks boast a blue, green, and red palette, featuring repurposed umbrella liners, toe boxes made from hot water bottles and bicycle tubes, and twisted lacing systems assembled with seanets found on Southampton’s Lepe Beach. The patchwork-style design is complete with cemented sole units and a waxed finish.
Take a closer look at Annie Purdy’s debut footwear collection, “Waste”, in the gallery above. The shoes will be released via the designer’s social media channels in the coming months.
Elsewhere, APPLIED ART FORMS SS23 honors ancient Japanese techniques.
