Photo Courtesy: Because International.
The Internet has recently been abuzz with the story of Because International's shoe that adjusts and expands with a growing foot.
The idea for The Shoe That Grows came to Founder and Executive Director Kenton Lee, on noticing the basic but alarming footwear issue while he was living and working in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007.
Photo Courtesy: Kenton Lee
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 300 million cases of severe illness are caused each year due to poor or no footwear.
After approaching many of the world's leading footwear manufacturers, Lee knocked on the door of the Portland-based company, Proof of Concept.
Headed by former Nike and Adidas exec Gary Pitman, Proof of Concept began in 2006 as a rapid prototyping service bureau for a range of industries. It soon became obvious however, that his 22 years of shoe experience, was an attractive draw to footwear companies that were looking to develop products.
The Proof of Concept team is now made up of footwear industry veterans with a collective 80+ years of experience; what sets them apart, is their ability to embrace the tools and thought processes involved in designing with cutting edge-technology.
“What makes us unique is the fact that we have been at the forefront of helping the industry identify and utilize cutting-edge product creation tools like 3D scanning, 3D computer modeling, rapid prototyping, and virtual visualization. Basically, we are “Shoe Dogs”, a term used for experienced shoe experts who are always looking for ways to use modern digital tools when creating new products.”
Brainstorming with Lee, Pitman used a 3D printer to prototype at least 8 different variations of the design before they were happy with the product.
Armed with 100 pairs of the new invention, Lee tested the product in Africa before putting in an official order for 3,000 pairs at the end of last summer.
See how it works in the demo below and help the cause by getting involved