The 22-Year-Old Designer Flipping Thrifted Socks and Cables Into Heels

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Blame William Shakespeare. Early in lockdown, it became an adage—then a joke, then a cliché—that since he wroteduring the plague, we could, too, channel our isolation into creative energy. But some people did actually create some life-changing feats of creativity during lockdown, including 22-year-old Tega Akinola. In early 2020, the British designer, then a sports psychology student, headed to her parents’ home in the Midlands to quarantine.

Akinola posted the final result—a white heel with an ankle USB strap—on her Instagram in April. It was her third upcycled project she had shown to her followers, who were used to Akinola’s sporty ’fit pics. The first was a pointy-toe shoe covered with scraps of Nike socks; the second was a mini bag, inspired by fellow inventive recycler Nicole McLaughlin, crafted from an orange Patagonia fleece with the brand’s logo front and center. Her followers loved them.

Now, she reaches out to companies who handle electrical waste, and uses the faulty cables for her heels, which are sourced from DePop, Ebay, Facebook marketplace, and other online second hand markets. Her mother, who is a seamstress, helped her turn the Patagonia fleece mini bags into a functional product as well. “When I decided to start selling stuff, my process changed quite a bit,” she says. “I had to think about how people were going to wear it and if it’s going to last.

It’s true that outfit pictures are a dime a dozen, unlike a terry cloth Nike Cortez or a facemask made of ethernet cables. Her ingenuity is what makes her page so interesting. What will she think of next, a shoe with pockets inspired by Laura Croft? Add to the fact that she uses discarded materials, and you feel hopeful for the future of upcycling. A fleece top-handle bag isn’t for everyone, but it’s a cool example of what’s possible.

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

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