Art Gets a Sole

One part visual artistry, one part cutting-edge fashion and one part sustainability, ALIVESHOES is a project determined to combine those three aspects into a higher consciousness. Art projects are being developed using ALIVESHOES to make a connection between the artist, the consumer and the environment.

ALIVESHOES combines contemporary art with eco-friendly fashion.

The shoes are handmade by Italian craftsmen from sustainable materials. Untreated cotton, leather and cork, combines with scented foam rubber and biodegradable polyurethane to create the sole.
Artists use the shoes in installations set in natural environments. Each installment has a specific ID, which is stitched, along with a sketch of the actual display, on the inside of the tongue of each shoe. This is just another way to connect the artist with the wearer.
The first installation to be completed, entitled "Beach Blocks" by New York's Steven Siegel, featured blocks of the shoes on a beach. Siegel creates eco-sculptures using recycled materials, and an ALIVESHOES project was a perfect fit.
Works of art in progress include "Pied A Terre" and "Through the Looking Glass," both by emerging artists.
Starting at $200, the option is available to pay more for your pair in "alive value." This value, however doesn't go straight into someone's pocket. The basic cost supports the manufacturing, management, production and distribution costs. The alive value that you chose to pay is split between nonprofits and the development of further art installations.
The charitable organizations cover five areas: ecology, art, childcare, neuroscience and society, including, the Museum of Modern Art, Save the Children, the National Resource Defense Council, Krishnamurti Foundation of America and Humanity's Team.
ALIVESHOES hopes to help us raise our consciousness by thinking outside the box, only to begin to turn inward and elevate our level of awareness and connectedness between ourselves, others, art and the environment.