Designer Sebastian Thies (Nat-2™) and Shahar Livne joined forces creating the world‘s first sneakers made from real blood, 2019.
In most slaughterhouses blood is drained into the sewers and waterways, or re-used as a colorant for meat. Inspired by the construction and de-construction of living subjects in the food industry, Shahar Livne developed a new handmade ‘bio-leather’ by using fat and bones driven materials from the waste streams of slaughterhouses in the Netherlands and utilizing the wasted blood as a colorant and a plasticizer. Other materials used in this concept shoe are finest nappa leather, glass, a real cork insole and real rubber outsoles. The shoes are made entirely by hand in Italy and all according materials are coming from the same region. The extraordinary material mix gives the product an absolute new feel and look, never experienced in footwear before.
By realizing these unique sneakers they want to bring more attention to urgent international matters, such as sustainability in different animal-based industries by using nature-given resources and upcycling leftovers from those industries. But also making a point for more tolerance, open-minded thinking by raising fascination, curiosity, highlighting the wasteful and disrespectful treatment of animals and natural resources.
The results of this ‘Meat Factory’ project are visualized in two directions: 1. The use of blood as ink producing an exciting natural color range in a silkscreen technique, a repetitive technique that references to the anciant pigment Oxblood and the industrial revolution relating to food and materials. 2. The Bioleather is made only from the meat industry driven waste and low-value materials as a suggestion to create new valuable replacements for a polluting and often cruel industry. Shahar investigated the construction and deconstruction of living subjects and the wasteful and cynical treatment of animals and natural resources by human beings, inspired by the philosophy of ‘nose to tail’ attitude of using the entire animal.
