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A 21 Year Old Youth's Creativity In Making Recycled Paper Shoes

2011/7/26 13:14:00 56

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Environmentally Friendly Recycled Paper Shoes Creativity

Jimmy Thozak (Jimmy Tomczak) doesn't like to wear heavy sports shoes or sandals to take a walk along the lake.

He likes to feel the feeling of walking barefoot - but the gravel on the road is not particularly suitable for bare feet.

He is very interested in Vibram's FiveFingers series (such as shoes with bare feet) like ultra lightweight running shoes, but the price of several hundred yuan a pair is too expensive for ordinary students at Michigan State University.

So he began to make use of what he could find at home.

Design sandals

。

He used to sell things at eBay and had FedEx envelopes made of high-density polyethylene synthetic paper.

Although the shoes are light enough, the sole can not protect them.

So he continued to think of ways to make light and cheap shoes.

At that time, he was still reading, in order to earn tuition and living expenses, what kind of work would be done?

A contractor he knew at that time said there was no need to spend $two hundred or three hundred to buy waterproof cloth, so that Tang went to the local Outdoor Advertising Company to get some remaining vinyl plastic cloth.

Tang went away, and finally bought a MacDonald drink advertising cloth for only 20 dollars.

"When I removed the plastic cloth (after the roof), I found it still in good condition. It was 6 months in the winter wind and rain in Michigan."

He said, "I realized that this is what I have been looking for."

Environmental benefits: reusing used or discarded advertising plastic sheets to reduce landfills.

Though not proficient at the beginning, Thozak still clumsily made 20 shoes, including a veto that had never been landed, and finally decided on a design.

Finally, he tested with a Velcro and selected a flat bottom cut design.

In 2009, he launched an early version of the web site, which was owned by Tombolo at the end of 2010.

At the same time, he studied potential customers and began selling the beta products in June 2010.

He also applied for Sparkseed in Losangeles. Sparkseed is a non-profit organization that provides seed capital, counselor guidance and other resources for entrepreneurs who benefit the society.

In April 2010, Tang Zhi Ke, who was only 21 years old, was named Sparkseed's innovators.

Just 2 months later, the new version of the website was completely changed.

The main product of Tombolo is the shoe brand of recycled paper, inspired by the early envelope paper shoes.

"Someone asked me," Hey, you have your feet on it.

Paper skin

Why? "

At first, Thozak only sold at cost price.

He also tried to make people offer their own price to see how much money customers would like to pay (the answer is: each pair of shoes is between $5~30).

After that, he developed many sandals, including a thick sole.

The price ranges from 19.99 to 39.99 dollars, and postage is another.

All the production of recycled paper shoes was completed in Michigan, and the company's website said all those employed were "excellent local workers".

He expects sales in the summer to reach 1000 pairs a month.

Some boutiques are very interested in his products. He is still striving to buy his green paper shoes as a gift from many brands during the 2012 spring break promotion.

He had spent a lot of time in finding the idea from the first pair of courier envelope shoes, but when he talked about his achievements, there was still a glimmer of excitement in his voice.

"I didn't open my eyes one morning and said," Oh, I want to use plastic.

Advertising cloth

Make shoes. "

He said, "I first decided to make a product that is good for the environment, and then I tried to find this idea after continuous trial."