Sarah Gu

FOLDS: Modular Footwear.

Winner of the Imperial College DESIRE Award for most innovative design.

Blending origami-inspired geometry with functional footwear, FOLDS combines three shoe silhouettes (high-, med- and low-top) in one.

Single-sheet construction delivers a sustainable and cost-conscious solution.

< 5%

of shoes are recycled

< 5%

of shoes are recycled

66,600,000

pairs of shoes made everyday

66,600,000

pairs of shoes made everyday

22,000,000,000

pairs of shoes thrown into landfill each year

22,000,000,000

pairs of shoes thrown into landfill each year

How can we reduce the number of different shoes that people need to buy to reduce the accumulation of unused shoes, and limit material consumption?

Initial Scoping.

User Research \ Market Analysis \ Initial Ideation

Individual Development

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Concept Development.

7 stages of iterative prototyping and design

concept sketches

Low to High Fidelity prototypes were designed in iterations, going through continuous user feedback and design optimisations. Cardboard, foam and fabric materials were used

prototyping xbjibvlsdfjivb

v1-v6: low-high fid prototypes

Shoe net variations - why foivpsf

Shoe net alterations

Casually walking in Low-Top

Changing to Mid-Top

Running in High-Top

Modular Footwear.

Winner of the Imperial College DESIRE Award for most innovative design outcome.

Inspired by the foundations of Origami, FOLDS integrates high, medium and low top styles into a singular shoe.

Final Concept.