For high performance material manufacturer Low & Bonar, Dutch designer Joris de Groot used techniques and material from the automotive industry to design shoes.

De Groot developed the shoes for the Low & Bonar’s In4nite II project, a platform that combines the ideas of product and graphic designers and architects with Low & Bonar’s technical expertise to create a diverse range of designs and products.

For the shoes, De Groot examined the various techniques applied in the manufacturing of car interiors. One of the current uses for the material Colback is in the automotive industry, where it is incorporated in the upholstery of car interiors, and De Groot decided to use this material for his project.

Colback is an umbrella name for Low & Bonar’s technical fabrics for carpeting, flooring, automotive and decorative solutions. The material consists of non-woven bi-component filaments. The quality of Colback is tested to minimise irregularities within the interior. A linear pattern is applied in this moulding process, monitoring the way the material behaves when it is formed.

De Groot appropriated the technology in a new way by adjusting it to form shoes. During the process, De Groot played with linear patterns. His process leaves inconsistencies and details that gives the collection its aesthetics, revealing the techniques as well as the materials behind the design.

De Groot comments, “From the tufted and moulded material of the body and the carpeting, to the finishing procedures of car mats that round off the edges of the design, the diverse range of techniques that are applied in the manufacturing of car interiors come together in this collection of shoes.”

Photos: Studio Collector / Kris van Gendt