Did you know each year, countless tons of denim are produced worldwide.
Yet only a small portion of this amount is recycled and redesigned into new products.

Meet anna.

The circular sneaker, made from recycled natural materials, designed for disassembly.

Tell me more!

The upper knitted part of the sneaker is made from recycled denim fibres in combination with natural Lenzing ™ Lyocell and Lenzing™ Viscose Color fibres, eliminating the final dyeing process.

Instead of using glue, the limited number of parts are stitched together and can be separated easily.

A zipper helps to put on the shoe and ensures an easy fit.

Did you know:

Using recycled material and eliminating the dyeing process results in huge water, energy and CO2 savings compared to the use of standard virgin cotton;

Choosing a local circular supply chain reduces the global transportation footprint;

And it is made from natural biodegradable fibres, avoiding plastic waste pollution.

Anna is a low impact product.

The big idea.

The textile and fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries worldwide, generating countless tons of waste.

Our goal was to find a way to reduce this textile waste by reusing and upcycling it.

European Spinning Group (ESG) managed to do so by spinning yarns from discarded denim, marketed as the ESG Green collection. With the #hackyourjeans project, ESG wants to portray itself as a strong believer of the circular design thinking.

The anna sneaker is an exemplary case of what can be done with this upcycled material, fitted into a hip and marketable product.

Made from recycling. Designed for recycling.
This design limits the amount of new virgin materials needed in the end product and therefore significantly reduces its ecological footprint.

At the end of its lifetime, the sneaker can be easily taken apart and the reclaimed materials are to be reused for a new purpose.

A small step towards sustaining our planet for the next generations.

And most importantly: it looks fashionable, doesn’t it ?

The project.

Anna was designed and made in Belgium as a proof of concept. The result of a co-creation project between the creative teams of the ESG and CREAX. Facilitated by Designregio Kortrijk within the framework of the 5x5®-project.

Our companies had the unique opportunities to work together for one year, supported by Knitwearlab in the Netherlands and a very talented shoemaker called Laurens.

A big thank you to all involved!

Why anna? We are a family business.

The name for the sneaker was inspired by Anna Quartier, mother of ESG founder André Lietaer.

Her family had a small shoe business. The love for fashion, shoes and creative textile products has remained and branched out throughout the whole family.

Interested?

If you can’t wait to try on anna, we must however disappoint you …
At this moment, anna is just a concept shoe, which was launched at the Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk.

If you are interested in her story or the used materials and technology, you can drop us a note at info@hackyourjeans.com or fill in the contactform.

Anna might wake up to become a real shoe one day.

Please leave your details if you want more information about this product concept.