The product: Dutch shoe company OAT has gone the extra mile to minimize its carbon footprint, producing a fully biodegradable sneaker that will apparently sprout trees when planted in soil. The shoes, part of the "Virgin Collection" that OAT debuted last week, have tree seeds packed into the lining and are constructed from canvas and cork specially designed to decompose over time. (See image below.) To underline the garden theme, OAT employed two models, (barely) dressed as Adam and Eve, to show off the new line. But customers eager to get their own hands on these soil-friendly shoes may face frustrations — only 900 pairs are set to go on sale this spring, all in Europe.
The reaction: "Finally," says Cord Jefferson at Good Magazine, "you can look cool and not feel guilty, comfortable in the knowledge that your fashion will one day beautify the world with literal shoetrees." Putting tree seeds in shoes makes sense, says OAT's founder Christiaan Maats, as quoted by Ecouterre. "You leave something much better behind: a tree, flowers, or even a cotton plant that provides you with your new shirt." Check out OAT's biodegradable sneakers:
