Sustainable art of flip flops

Flip flop art from Kenya

The story behind this flip flop art from Kenya is very special. You probably also own a nice pair of flip flops and when they wear out, you buy new ones for a reasonable price. The cheaper variants are made from foam rubber and are therefore very popular, especially in developing countries. We throw our old, worn-out flip flops in the textile bin, however that is often not an option in countries such as Kenya. Flip flops are simply discarded and left behind in nature and eventually end up in the ocean. A plastic soup in the ocean, which has been widely discussed in the media, is the result of thrown away plastics with serious consequences for people and the environment. The Ocean Sole employees clean the  retrieved flip flops and glue them together. The creative artisans then make figurines/statues from them. Each figurine is unique in color and made with a lot of love and dedication.

Choosing your flip flop art

If you want to buy an Ocean Sole figurine/statue, you can use our WhatsApp service. They are all unique in their color scheme, because they are a result of the original flip flops which have been glued together. One figurine can therefore be a lot more colorful compared to another. With our WhatsApp service you choose what best suits your interior or style. Alternatively, you can always safely order your Ocean Sole products via Nic&Mic and pay afterwards.

The benefits of recycled art

Using and recycling old flip flops to make art has, of course, many advantages. Ocean Sole's working method addresses several social issues, which are being improved upon both on a small scale in Kenya and on a global scale:

• Preventing and remedying pollution of the land and the sea, by removing the plastic.
• Creating employment, both by cleaning up the flip flops and with the design and making of the figurines/statues.

Many craftsmen in Kenya who had always worked with wood have switched to recycled flip flops at Ocean Sole. When you buy a figurine you not only get real feel-good art at home, but have also contributed in your own small way to a better world and much improved working conditions for the local residents.