Rationale



=HEMBOO SHOE FINAL PROJECT RATIONALE=

Our Hemboo shoe is 100% composed of bamboo and hemp. When determining which materials would be best suited for our sustainable shoe we evaluated various ideas that could be found in pacific regions. Due to the vast amount of bamboo and hemp we concluded that such materials would be highly accessible as well as very efficient and sustainable. Strength was the greatest characteristic displayed by bamboo and therefore was used to create the sole of the shoe, offering enormous amount of support for the heel and foot. Yet, because the texture of bamboo is solid and hard we used the inner softer parts of the bamboo along with hemp for complementary comfort and durability. This was further overlaid by a second thinner layer of bamboo fibers to establish a solid flexible, comforting platforms on which a foot can rest. Therefore, the sole of the hemboo shoes is comprised of 3 consecutive layers starting with the hard outer portion of bamboo, with a soft middle layer, and a final thin layer of bamboo and hemp fibers. Coupling hemp and bamboo fibers we were able to designate it for making up the outside part of the shoe. In order to create a durable material that will be able to last through daily use we needed to understand a method in which comfort and sustainability could coexist in the hemboo shoe. Therefore, we developed a pattern illustrated in our initial and final design that demonstrates the way in which the hemp and bamboo fibers would be woven together to create the outside of our shoe.

Our mockup shows that such a product can be created, and instead using a traditional distribution method, we'll share the methodology of how to create this product. This way, they can implement it themselves and not be dependent on any external sources of this "technology".

Now, we need to take our product to the real world and make revisions based our experiences and feedback.