Blog Archives

On my way to work last week one of the soles on my boots partially tore off. I exclaimed “My SOLE!” which probably seemed weird to others nearby (his soul?). I then cursed and muttered in a fashion similar to Yosemite Sam for several minutes. Then I put my infomercial cap on: if only there was a way I can repair my own shoe.

And then it struck me: when you get a flat tire, you don’t throw away the whole car and buy a new one. You replace the tire. Unfortunately we don’t regard our shoes as cars, instead we see them as tires we replace wholesale. Time to change that outlook, not just to be frugal but for the environment too.

A modular shoe would allow you to replace the sole and interior liner (the part that goes directly under the foot), allowing you to prolong the life of your shoes. Now when the tread wears down or your foot wears the liner thin, you can replace one or both. All this in addition to the shoelaces or insoles you already swap.

But wait, there’s more! You could throw your shoes in the washer and dryer when you remove the soles. Wage war on foot odor, responsible for ending 1 in 10 marriages (I can’t back that claim up).

Another trick to borrow from tires: If you are familiar with balancing tires (the process of adding small wedges of metal to the rim to affect the roll of the tire), that could also be done here. You can add inserts or adjust the tightness of some screws to affect the fit and balance to suit your own preferences. It would be like tuning a guitar.

And like tuning a guitar, every once in a while you’ll have to tighten the screws. A little bit of upkeep is the only trade-off I can think of. Sure these would be pricier, but they’d last a lot longer.

Other possible design features:

For growing kids you could issue modular shoes that also grow, as the shoe would have a sock-like design. The sole would wrap upwards behind the ankle. You’d unlock more sections to sit on the ground as the kid grows - which is just about every week it seems.

The sneaker to high-top conversion. Why not?

If you like this, check out my Back to the Future shoe design, this shoebox bed, or these Nintendo shoes. I feel like Troy McClure when I do that.