Recare about shoes
Most shoes end up in landfills or incinerators, part of a linear take-make-waste system that treats footwear as disposable. But what if shoes were designed to last? What if their lifespan could be extended through maintenance, repair, and reuse?Recare About Shoes was a two-year Vlaio Living Lab led by Omvorm, exploring how circular design strategies could transform the footwear industry.
Together with Torfs, Cycleur Deluxe, Ambiorix, Mister Minit, KU Leuven, Flanders DC, and Luca School of Arts, we prototyped, tested, and scaled solutions to keep shoes in use longer, before, during, and after their first life.
A holistic approach to circularity
The transition from linear to circular requires more than just better products. It demands new behaviors, new business models, and new collaborations across the entire value chain.
BEFORE
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DURING
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AFTER
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BEFORE 〰️ DURING 〰️ AFTER 〰️
BEFORE USE
Design for Longevity
80% of a shoe’s environmental impact is locked in at the design stage. Traditional leather shoes are built to last, but modern sneakers, often made of glued synthetics and mixed materials, are nearly impossible to repair.
To tackle this, together with Cycleur Deluxe, we developed a modular sneaker with removable, replaceable parts, designed for easy maintenance. Targeting work and uniform footwear, the "shoes-into-shoes" concept proves that circularity can be embedded in product design from the start.
DURING USE
Shifting Consumer Behavior
How do you make people care for their shoes again? To find out, we developed On&On, a brand and workshop series that teaches refreshing, repairing, and restyling footwear.
Launched at Wonder Festival and later in Torfs stores, these workshops turned retail spaces into hubs for circular learning. Omvorm designed the branding, packaging (refillable!), and participatory format to make sustainability engaging, not preachy.
Dive deeper into On&On here
AFTER USE
Closing the Loop
Even the most durable shoes eventually wear out. Recare About Shoes explored second-life solutions, from resale markets to refurbishment programs.
KU Leuven’s research revealed hygiene and pricing as key barriers to secondhand shoe adoption.
Yet, experiments with Gered VZW and Groep Intro showed that cleaning, minor repairs, and resale can work, especially when integrated into existing services. Companies like CWS prove that circular models can scale in the right contexts.
The power of working together
Recare About Shoes wasn’t just about shoes. It was about proving that circularity is possible, but only through collaboration across disciplines. Designers reimagined products for repairability and modularity. Businesses tested new service models. Researchers uncovered consumer barriers and opportunities. Policymakers and industry explored scalable systems. The result? A blueprint for circular footwear, and a reminder that small changes (like wearing shoes 3 months longer) can have massive impacts (like saving 27 million tons of CO₂ per year)
Collaboration also means doing fun stuff together, such as …
… innovate @ Flanders District of Creativity
… meet @ Shoes Or No Shoes
… get inspired @ Rombout in Paris
… cleaning shoes @ Wonderfestival
… meet students @ Luca School of Arts
… share knowledge @ Studio Circulair
Ines De Peuter - Flanders District of Creativity
ReCare is currently my favorite Living Lab, not only because of the project’s content but especially because of the warm collaboration. The Omvorm team are incredibly inventive, but above all very collaborative and inclusive!
This living lab was a collective effort. A huge thanks to our collaborators.
Dive into the details
Download learning lessons, keynotes, articles…
Manifest (Dutch) download
Keynote Y. Nauwelaerts @ Studio Circulair (Dutch) download
Keynote B.Hagenaars @ Fashion Talks download
More insights
Living Lab Learning Lessons (Dutch) download
Adoption of circular business models in textile and shoe industry. By S. Van Dijck & T. Nauwelaerts (Dutch) download
Press coverage
Magazine article in Ecotips download
Listen to FDC’s podcast here
Opinion piece in MO* open link
Feature on modular footwear on VRT NWS open link
Article on modular sneakers via Fashion United: open link
Luca School of Arts article: open link
Press release by KU Leuven: open link
Article via Flanders District of Creativity open link
Article in De Standaard newspaper open link
Client: Self initiated
Year: 2024-2026
Discipline: Innovation, Design Strategy, Design Research, Living Lab
Project team: Ben Hagenaers, Selma Pašalić, Mathias De Winter, Dieter Desmet, Laura Broux, Kaat Vandeput, Daphne Mulkers & Andrija Mihailović
Recare About Shoes was a Living Lab partially funded by VLAIO.VLAIO is the Flemish government’s go-to agency for all entrepreneurs in Flanders. We stimulate and support innovation and entrepreneurship, contributing to a favorable business climate—in collaboration with numerous partners. As part of its commitment to circular entrepreneurship, VLAIO provided both support and resources for this project.