We all know it, when you walk down the street a piece of chewing gum sticks to your shoe. Very irritating. That is why Gumshoes', sneakers with soles made of chewing gum from the streets of Amsterdam, have been introduced. With this, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer wants to make a statement to make people aware of the problem that Amsterdam has been struggling with for years, in addition to wearing this unique shoe. Every year, about 1.5 million kilos of chewing gum ends up on the street.
Besides the fact that chewing gum on the street is not very aesthetically pleasing, animals are also affected by it. In addition, it takes 20-25 years for chewing gum to completely decay. The removal costs municipalities millions of euros. To turn this tide, the possibilities of chewing gum were considered. It turns out to be a very suitable material for making a new kind of rubber. Publicis One initiated a collaboration with specialist company Gum-Tec and the Amsterdam brand Explicit Wear to develop a unique sneaker that features the map of Amsterdam on the sole. Instead of chewing gum, Amsterdammers can now leave a “mark” with their footprint. In this way, the streets of Amsterdam are cleaner and people are made to think.
The sneakers will be on sale at the end of June at Hudson's Bay Amsterdam and online at www.gumshoe.amsterdam.
