Well that's exactly what Lusea Warner, the CEO and sole designer of FAN trainers has done. Not content with wasting those millions of plastic shopping bags that have been fazed out by the more eco-friendly Green Bags, Lusea has gathered up some bright as bags and completely reshaped them into a shoe, worthy of the line "dope on plastic!". We were fortunate enough to snatch a few moments away to chat to Lusea and see if these trainers really stand the test of time, in a market over saturated with unoriginal knock offs, and designs.
Whats crackin Lusea? Give us some insight into your (dare we say) eco-friendly brand FAN.
Hey there all you sneakerfreakers! Greetings from the U.K. FAN originated in a cold dark student bedroom in London, as my final collection for Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. It’s a Brand that reuses plastic bags and majestically turns them into sneakers, bags and lights. FAN is an umbrella of eco-design, that brings green to the fore-front of urban culture.
Cleverly named, FAN is ECO put through predictive text. How long did that light bulb take to come on? Because as we all know, the name of your brand is pretty much the most important thing you need.
I love words, secret words, anagrams, plus I wanted to create a brand which turned eco friendly on its head. I wanted to bring the urban, graff, skate scene into sustainability. Many people get put off by words like ‘eco’, ‘environmentally friendly’, and ‘save the world’, they think that stuff like that is just for hippies, which is not true, it’s got to be relevant for everyone. So I needed a secret word to relate green. FAN as a name and logo, had to look and feel complete separate to other eco brands.
The FAN trainers are crazy. Are they actually wearable because its hard to envisage a shoe made from recycled plastic bags as durable.
Yeah! For sure man, this material feels and acts just like leather, at the moment these are just a prototype however they will finally be padded inside for extra comfort and durability.
Where did the ideas for the structure of the shoe come from, was it a conscious decision to style it after a converse low or pro ked shoe?
No, I invented the material after a series of investigations and experimenting. And then I was like, well what’s the best way to get people interested in buying recycled fashion? Make Baseball Boots! After making several pairs, I let my mates skate in them and they were like “these are rad.”
Did you have a love of sneakers before you ventured into FAN or was it more a love of the environment that spawned this desire to make your own shoe?
I LOVE SNEAKERS!, and I LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT! And why can't sneakers help the environment?
What obstacles did you encounter manufacturing the FAN trainers?
Haha, teaching myself how to make the perfect pair of trainers. And working all through the night making hundreds of pairs of trainers in my bedroom while I was studying at art college. Defying my tutors who thought I was mad.
What has the response been like and have you had any interest outside of the UK as yet?
The shoes and brand have gone down like a storm in the U.K. We will be selling them online and at various outlets throughout the U.K from spring next year. We are looking to sell in the U.S as well, anyone have any ideas?
I noticed you have also branched out to light fittings and bags. Will you be releasing any other products under the FAN label?
Yes, I have a few more tricks up my sleave. My next ambition is to start shaping surfboards and skateboards from plastic bags.
Obviously being an ECO friendly brand you want to send out some sort of message to the public about the environment. What’s yours?
Its karma. You litter the beach and your next wave might be a Tusami. You buy a crap pair of unethical sneakers, and ….haha, you might fall over.
What are you a FAN of?
Cheese
Check out more hotness at www.fan-gear.co.uk
