‘Rewild the Run’ Trainers: A Step Forward for Urban Rewilding

The world of footwear is embracing sustainability in remarkable ways, with exciting features and innovative materials. Following this trend, designer Kiki Grammatopoulos has crafted an inventive pair of trainers, “Rewild the Run,” utilising principles of biomimicry. These chunky, strikingly blue outsoles double as carriers for plants and seeds, contributing to their spread across urban landscapes with every step.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Grammatopolous displayed her creation at the 2023 MA Material Futures exhibition and Milan Design Week 2023. She envisions the trainers in response to the fragmentation and reduction of natural habitats due to urban growth. This urban expansion disrupts the natural spread of plants and seeds, typically aided by animals, upsetting ecological dynamics.

In response, urban rewilding seeks to adapt cities to support wildlife and diverse ecosystems within their constraints. Her trainers offer a unique way to democratise this process. The electric blue outsoles are designed to mimic animal hooves and fur, acting as tiny hooks to carry plants and seeds to new environments, promoting biodiversity.

Grammatopoulos believes that humans play a vital role in integrating natural spaces within urban surroundings. “The city is an entirely man-made construct… Footwear is our connection to the ground and our environment. With this project, [we allow] city dwellers to engage in the ecological growth of the local environment,” she concludes. “Rewild the Run” is a step towards a greener future, literally.