Cool Stuff
HOT RIGHT NOW JUST REUSE IT
Hong Kong just got its first ever Nike Grind public court, a basketball court in Kwai Chung made with over 20,000 pairs of old sneakers, and we are kind of in love with it! Part sustainable art project, part sports facility, the old Shek Lei court has been transformed with palettes of Nike Grind, a proprietary material made from a combination of recycled plastic, rubber, foam, fiber, leather, textile, and more. The iconic sportswear brand also enlisted the help of toy designer and illustrator James Jarvis to create the larger-than-life tableau of some of his signature “bubble people” shooting hoops on the court, giving it a decidedly cooler cache than most of the other courts around the city. Consider supporting similar projects by the brand by donating your old sneakers to their Reuse-A-Shoe programme at the Shek Lei Nike branch, which accepts worn athletic footwear from any brand and processes it for recycling. Upper Roof of Shek Lei Shopping Centre Phase I, 6 Wai Kek St., Kwai Chung
TREAD LIGHTLY
We’re always in the market for a pair of sustainable sneakers, especially when it’s locally sourced! Hong Kong footwear brand Lacess just rebranded, changing their name to K!BO while making a few other commendable upgrades to their kicks. The brand already used upcycled leather, post-consumer plastics, and cork insoles that are naturally antibacterial and sweatwicking. They expanded those sustainable practices recently to include using recycled cotton for the lining and recycled natural rubber for the outsoles, making this one of the greenest shoes on the local market right now! Let’s hear it for fashion companies doing the work to limit waste and reduce their footprint. K!BO is also planning on expanding their product line and creating a canvas line of sneakers in the near future - watch this space! Adult sizes cost $1,060. kibo.eco
8
