schuh has announced a collaboration with Are You Mad, a waste design studio, to repurpose post-consumer waste into functional and creative shop fixtures. The initiative transforms donated footwear, returns bags, and pallet wrap into custom-made donation bins and shoe display risers, reinforcing schuh’s commitment to sustainability and waste reduction.
The donation bins will be used for schuh’s Sell Your Soles initiative, which encourages customers to donate unwanted shoes in exchange for a voucher. Meanwhile, the unique shoe display risers, created from melted plastic waste, will serve as striking in-store fixtures.
Greg Traill, head of brand partnerships at schuh, highlighted the importance of the collaboration:
“This partnership with Are You Mad is a valuable opportunity for us to raise awareness of the importance of re-using. The footwear industry faces significant challenges when it comes to waste, but we’re committed to being transparent and proactive on our journey to becoming a more conscious retailer. Our goal is to give as much footwear as possible a second life.”
The process behind the project
The project began with Are You Mad’s in-house team meticulously deconstructing over 600 pre-loved shoes at its East London studio. The materials were then handed over to renowned sustainable footwear designer Helen Kirkum, who crafted striking panels from the discarded footwear. These panels were later integrated into the donation bins by furniture artist Charlie Boyden, who constructed each piece by hand using recycled plastic components.
For the shoe display risers, Brighton-based studio Weez & Merl melted and moulded 2.5kg of waste plastic from schuh’s pallet wraps and returns bags, creating distinctive marbled patterns for each riser.
James Suckling, co-founder of Are You Mad, emphasised the impact of the project:
“When schuh approached us to help bring their Sell Your Soles initiative to life, what stood out was their honesty about the challenges of footwear recycling. It’s a complex process, but together, we’re creating a solution that gets people excited about recycling their old shoes and rethinking the journey of their clothing, footwear, and waste. This is just the beginning of our partnership, and we’re excited to continue working with schuh in 2025 and beyond.”
A step towards a circular economy
The Sell Your Soles initiative, launched in 2019, enables customers to donate shoes at any schuh store in exchange for a £5/€5 voucher. The scheme, in partnership with Recyclatex, ensures that donated footwear is either re-used or responsibly recycled. Since its inception, schuh has donated 267 tonnes of end-of-life footwear, allowing the World Land Trust to plant over 27,374 trees through its Plant a Tree programme.
The schuh x Are You Mad donation bins and risers can now be found in selected schuh stores across the UK and Ireland, including Oxford Circus, Stratford, Westfield White City, Bristol, Manchester Market Street, Metro, Belfast, Newcastle, Liverpool ONE, and Glasgow Fort.
