Rubbish Shoes

The internet loves to talk about ‘athleisuring’, with constant reminders of the implicit union of fashion and fitness that it has ushered in. However, despite the obsequiousness of this fashion and social media trend, beyond the greenwashing done by a handful of brands, there is very little conversation around the environmental effects of the same.

The short film does a notable job of performing this task, earning extra points for the subtlety and ease with which it draws your attention to it. The protagonist of the documentary, Ultrarunner Dan Lawson, works with his partner on the restoration, reuse and upcycling of discarded running shoes. Consequently, instead of ending up in a land-fill, the shoes are allowed a new life.

The story thus brought to life serves a double-edged purpose of not only highlighting the results achieved by the film's namesake initiative, but also to reveal the glaring absence of efforts on the part of the companies to ensure their products don’t add to the already existing, overwhelming environmental concerns. The narratorial development is marked by ease, brevity and remains lucid throughout in the communication of this very important message.