Plakkies
Plakkies
The soles of the Plakkies are made from used car tyres. In South Africa, car tyres are dumped en masse and illegally incinerated, causing a devastating impact on the environment. Thanks to Plakkies, they can now be recycled. Shoe designer Jan Jansen and students of the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering came up with the design for the hip, socially responsible slipper. The slipper's colourful patterns were designed by orphans from the slums around Durban. The drawings they feature are testament to the children's creativity and illustrate their dreams. All profits made from the sale of Plakkies will be donated in full to KidsRights' orphan projects in South Africa.
Slipper factory
The aim of the factory is to offer permanent employment in one of the most socially and economically neglected parts of South Africa. "The key to successful overseas development is serious employment opportunities. This is only possible if a high-quality product is manufactured that is designed for the western market. Sympathy alone achieves nothing," says Arnoud Rozendaal. Inspired by KidsRights, who had already set up a cuddly toy factory in South Africa, he went in search of something more suited for TU Delft. In Michel Boerrigter's final Bachelor project, he discovered just that - a cool, sustainably produced slipper.
The factory now employs 70 untrained slum residents, many of whom are infected with HIV. This job offers them a chance to rebuild their lives, often after years of unemployment. With their salary, each employee can support ten other people in their neighbourhood. Thanks to the project, children can attend school once more and 500 people now have the chance of a promising future. Safety, training and health are number one issues in the factory and anti-Aids drugs are distributed every day at mealtimes.
Active support
The students have received active support from the TU Delft Executive Board. "The engineers at our university face a difficult challenge: we need to develop into a sustainable society and that demands inventive, technological solutions," says Dirk Jan van den Berg. "They have to be able to think 'out of the box', be creative and inspired and have an awful lot of stamina. Michel and Arnoud are perfect examples of that."
Plakkies are available in purple night, cool grey and hot pink for women and denim blue and brown sun for men. From 14 May 2009 they will be on sale for EUR 39.95 at de Bijenkorf, America Today, Dr.Adams, Sacha, Open 32, Five Pocket, The Stone and online at www.bijenkorf-webshop.nl. Of course, it's also possible to pick up a pair from the TU shop in the Aula building.
