Corn Dolly Shoes fuses traditional wicker craft with modern circular design to create a brand new concept in contemporary footwear.

It uses modular design to enable the replacement of individual damaged elements, which can then be composted or recycled.

Right to Repair

Human beings have been wearing footwear for as long as thousands of years. Traditionally, shoes were made by hand by skilled craftsmen and were made of relatively robust and long-lasting natural materials. They were precious items, and they needed to last a long time. 

But, for the last century, we have seen industrialisation and mass production, and shoes become a short life-span consumables. Today people are buying more shoes than ever.

Every year, more than 20 billion shoes are manufactured, 95% of which end up in landfills, where it might take up to 50 years for a shoe to biodegrade. Only a small amount of shoes are recycled. 
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A vast majority of footwear is made with unsustainable materials and processes that require a huge amount of resources to create (plastics, synthetics, glues, and leather).

At the same time quality has dropped drastically, so it is hard to even repair them.

Corn Dolly Shoes

Corn Dolly shoes  fuse traditional wicker craft with circular design to create a concept that challenges the throw-away culture of mass-produced footwear in various ways:

• They only use (natural &) sustainable materials (corn husk, rubber).
• They are designed to be repaired. A modular design enable the replacement of individual damaged elements.
• It makes fixes that are user-friendly, with affordable replacement parts.
• Elements can be composted or recycled.

The shoes consist of 2 main elements, which are connected in a way that there is no glue needed:

Upper element - is hand-made wicker.
It is made by Slovenian artisans. This is 100 % natural material.

​We use corn leaves, which are actually an agricultural waste material that comes from indigenous Slovenian maize, called ”Trdinka”.

​In this way the project also supports biodiversity. 

This is the part that can be composted when the element is damaged.

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The sole element is from Vibram®, which is an established synonym for quality and durability for many mountaineers and explorers from the Alps to the Himalayas. This part can stay with us for a good part of our life.

Rubber soles are made from 90% natural ingredients and use 100% natural pigments for color variations. 

​This sole is recyclable and this particular recycling system is already in function.

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This concept was inspired by traditional European customs
when Corn Dollies were made at Harvest time from the last sheaf of corn cut.

​The Corn Spirit was supposed to live in the plaited straw ornament or corn doll
​and was kept until the following spring to ensure a good harvest.

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Award

"Made in Slovenia" 2023

Corn Dolly Footwear was awarded with mark of design excellence ”Made in Slovenia” by Center for Creativity and Museum of Architecture and Design, MAO in 2023.

​The product meet the following criteria:

• It is more than 50% made in Slovenia
• It is designed in Slovenia
• It is sustainable (according to the principle of circular economy)
• It is innovative (technological, design,…)
• It is thoughtful, clear and functional
• It is socially engaged.​

Red Dot Museum

Corn Dolly Shoes are now part of the prestigious PERMANENT COLLECTION at the Red Dot Design Museum Xiamen.

2025 EXHIBITION

Contemporary Crafting:
A Retelling of Tradition
30 Apr - 9 Jul 2025

Corn Dolly Shoes take part in a curated exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum Xiamen, examining the dialogue between tradition and contemporary design through materiality, form, and expression.

Red Dot Design Museum Xiamen,
Chengyi International Business Center
Xiamen, Fujian Province, CHINA

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ZGDW Award 2023

​F I N A L I S T

​26 Sep - 1 October 2023

Corn Dolly Shoes has entered
the final selection of the
 ZGDW Award 2023
and will be presented at
the ZGDW Award 2023 finalists exhibition
at the Zagreb Design Week 2023

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Please VOTE!

Until 25th August 2023

​Corn Dolly Shoes 
has been short-listed for
​the 6th edition of the
 Distributed Design Awards 2023.

​​Add Your Vote HERE

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Open Call Winner

February 2023

Corn Dolly Shoes have been selected
in the Open Call by Centre for Creativity and Distributed Design 
​for co-production of a limited edition series of products that combine contemporary design and craftsmanship!

This series of modular shoes Corn Dolly are currently made in limited edition series.

You are welcome to make an enquiry.

For an enquiry about the Corn Dolly shoes, please enter your details.