One from Naples, the other from Seoul. Tuscany, the place that makes them meet to realize an unprecedented project. We interviewed Giuliana Borzillo, product manager of ID.EIGHT who, together with designer Dong Seon Lee, tells us how they gave life to this project.
Was the passion for sustainability or fashion born first? What are the paths that have brought you to Florence?
To be precise, the place that made us know in 2017 was another, significant in the same way: I speak of MICAM in Milan, one of the leading international trade fairs in the footwear sector. As we started chatting, we found we had a lot in common: for a while we had even lived a few blocks away, never having met!
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
First fashion or sustainability? Well, the concept of sustainability has become public domain since very recently, while the passion for fashion as an expressive form was present in both as children. One of our favorite pastimes was drawing!
Dong, after graduating from Kookmin University in Seoul, on the advice of teachers, moved to Italy in 2007, to complete his training in shoe design at Polimoda in Florence. But I, after a degree in Architecture in Naples, in 2010 I enrolled in a master’s degree, always in the Tuscan capital: from that moment I accumulated experience as a product assistant and product manager for different companies. The discovery of sustainability was an opportunity to rethink our relationship with fashion and creativity, to test ourselves with a project entirely ours, that reflected us in aesthetics and principles.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
The symbol of recycling composed of three arrows clockwise, decomposed becomes logo; can not best represent the idea of ID.EIGHT: how did this idea come about and what is behind the name of your project?
ID.EIGHT comes from the union of words identity and eight. We chose to include the concept of identity in reference to the questions to be asked to understand the relationship between what we are and what we wear, but also to remember the importance of remaining consistent with that rediscovered identity. Identity takes on a meaning also from the aesthetic point of view: in fact, it expresses the desire to break into the panorama of Italian fashion with a distinctive image, which would make the product recognizable through the originality of design.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
The number 8 is used in mathematics to represent infinity and symbolizes the values of circularity and regeneration, on which the brand’s production philosophy is based. For this reason we have chosen to make it also the central element of the logo.
AppleSkin (apple peels), Vegea (pomace), as well as lycra, mesh and recycled rubber: it just seems the case to talk about "ingredients" for your sneakers! How are these innovative materials produced? How do you choose your suppliers? Have you ever found it difficult to find raw materials?
We have been looking for suppliers present in Italy, who could offer us materials from the recycling of post-consumer waste or second raw materials, with the aim of reducing the impact related to the use of new resources, and to contribute to the disposal of by-products from other companies. If for recycled polyester textiles (for example Lycra) the process of transformation from plastic objects to yarn is already known, the formation of textiles from fruit waste came about ten years ago, after investments and university research. The production technology behind AppleSkin and Vegea is the same: a process of polymerization of lignin and cellulose, present in the inedible part of the fruit, that creates plastic polymers. From these, resins of non-petrochemical origin are obtained, which are spread on cotton or recycled polyester supports.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
Being already in the world of casual footwear and having attended several trade fairs in previous years, we had a pretty clear and complete starting point in which to move. All in all, we did not have much difficulty in identifying suppliers to design the first models, once the guiding criteria were established. The obstacles to overcome came in the next phase, when we had to test the strength and functionality of innovative materials at all stages of assembling sneakers. It was a great joy when we were able to see the first prototypes, made by a small shoe factory from Marche that accepted the bet and still produces for us.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
Packaging produced with recycled cardboard and deliveries with couriers with ISO-14001 environmental certifications: a green supply chain from procurement to delivery! I always feel that Italy is a step backwards in terms of environmental sensitivity and regulations. Wrong impression or was it difficult to create a project like ID.EIGHT here?
The difficulties, at least in terms of our specific experience, do not stem so much from the legislative context as from the external obstacles typical of this sector. The sneakers market is full of international competitors, represented by historical and well-established names, who operate according to logic radically opposed to that of our slow brand. They have more popular and competitive prices because they relocate everything to countries with low-cost labor, they can count on a wider production offer and keeping up with every trend, they obviously have the highest possible margins to spend on advertising campaigns. They manage to remain at the forefront even when it comes to presenting new models of sustainable sneakers, because they almost always have priority access to the supplies of ecological fabrics and yarns that are developed and can afford the risk of experimenting. The starting problem, therefore, remains to know how to carve your target, building a precise identity (we return to the meaning of the logo), under the aesthetic and communicative aspect.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
Innovation and sustainability do not sacrifice design! One more sporty, the other perfect combination of smart and casual: the lines Duri and Hana were born together or is one daughter of the other? How were shapes, colors and lines born? What are you inspired by?
The Hana sneaker, in the fluorescent color variant, was the first model designed by Dong and was his answer to my challenge: "I don’t find sustainable sneakers that I like, do you design me a pair?" Undoubtedly it embodies his biographical experience and his creativity: the fluo inserts on the upper recalls the dynamism of the city of origin Seoul; The curvilinear sole symbolizes the arrival of the revolutionary green wave and the overall design is inspired by sneakers 90s, the decade in which he spent his adolescence and early youth.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
After Hana (one in Korean), came the Duri (which means two), a shoe that satisfies the most classic and minimal taste. South Korea is a great source of inspiration for Dong, so much so that often sneakers become a tribute, albeit not immediately visible, to the culture and geography of the native country. In particular, the sweet colors of the cherry blossoms of Yeouido Park in Seoul have merged into the pastel shades of the Hana Light Mix Square model; the fluo touch of Hana White Crinkle is a reminder of soju, the national alcoholic drink (often also appears in the film Parasite); the colorful livery of a warrior robot, the protagonist of a series of films that he watched as a child, has covered the Hana Dark Mix Square.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
The numbers on social confirm that you are growing a lot, despite being a small reality! How much have they helped you to get to know you? Is there a community around ID.EIGHT that supports you?
Social media, especially Instagram, have played a leading role in making us emerge communicatively and in helping us to build a community of followers and customers, still very fond of the brand and its microworld. Even the arrival of the first customers and supporters saw as the protagonist word of mouth generated on social networks: just before the outbreak of the pandemic, we had launched the funding campaign from below on Kickstarter. It was thanks to a news published in GreenMe magazine that we were able to reach three hundred people interested in our project, tripling the target sum in forty-eight hours.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
We vividly remember the delicate period of loss that followed, so we decided to use Instagram stories to open windows into our daily lives, abandoning the idea of exclusivity generally associated with fashion brands and returning the most authentic and sometimes chaotic behind the scenes. Followers really appreciated this ironic and unconventional approach! We then diversified the contents of our Instagram stories, often offering informative and informative content related to the world of sustainability: news on innovative materials and ecological solutions, advice on books, exhibitions and cultural events. In the coming months we would like to transport into the physical world the links we have created in the virtual world, organizing live appointments with the most loyal customers in the main Italian cities.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
A last question that, at the gates of the new year, I cannot fail to ask you: is a new line being planned for 2023? In the future of ID.EIGHT do you mainly see shoes or are other accessories coming soon?
Right question! 2023 will still be a year full of unknowns for many small businesses like ours. We would like to create a small line of accessories or clothing. We will see what the future holds for us!
.jpg)