Corn Dolly

Modular shoes that combine traditional corn husk wicker craft with circular principles.

This project is now archived and was part of DDW24

This project is part of
The Symbiocene Forest - Coexistence

Fusion of traditional wicker craft & modular desig

Mankica Kranjec

Corn Dolly Shoes aim to create products which are non polluting and highly repairable. This mini range combines traditional Slovenian wicker craft with modern circular principles, wherein the modular design enables replacement of individual damaged elements, which can then be composted or recycled.

Repair

This concept challenges the highly polluting throw-away consumer culture in fashion, and in particular the world of mass produced footwear. Corn Dolly Shoes are designed to be repaired. It makes fixes that are user-friendly, with affordable replacement parts. The modular design of the product allows each individual element to be replaced or recycled as needed. The hand-woven wicker part is fixed to the Vibram sole with a string (no glue required). Any element can be easily replaced with a new one by the user.

Circularity

The use of corn husk wicker sits perfectly in the world of circular principles. Corn husk is a waste material, a by-product of the agricultural industry. For Corn Dolly shoes it is the raw material for the shoe upper. It is completely natural and unprocessed, and it can be easily composted when its life cycle is completed. Corn Dolly footwear uses a Vibram® rubber sole, which is well known for quality and durability. It is a high-quality rubber sole that is made from 90% natural ingredients and uses 100% natural pigments. They can be recycled within Vibram’s industrial process. The project also supports biodiversity by only using corn leaves from an indigenous Slovenian (non-GM) maize, called ”Trdinka”.

Heritage

The visual interpretation of the shoe is based on an ancient, almost forgotten harvest custom in traditional pagan European culture, namely, the making of a plaited ornament or corn doll from the last sheaf of harvest, which is supposed to be kept until the following spring to ensure a good harvest. The crafted products are reflecting the changing consumer values in times of globalisation with an increased focus on sustainability, customisation, and the artistic value of handmade products.