Josef Trojan

CumLaude

Prizes: Rene Smeets Award Nominee

Department: Man and Leisure
Website: joseftrojan.com

The Very First Shoe

Children’s shoes are often scaled-down adult shoes. But toddlers have different needs when it comes to their feet. As they grow rapidly, they would be better off with flexible footwear. And of course their delicate skin needs protection from sharp objects, but feeling the ground beneath their feet is also important for finding their balance and developing their muscles. Josef Trojan explored the possibilities of industrial knitting and developed ‘The Very First Shoe’: a slip-on shoe, made of protective and flexible PU rubber, elastane, high-density polypropylene and polyester yarn. The sole sticks to any sock, which makes it complete: a knitted shoe that gives kids all the freedom they want for their first steps.

A project in collaboration with TextileLab, Knitwear Lab, Thrace Plastics, Dr. Karl Wetekam & Co, Eurofibers, Stoll and Stahl.