For once I’m all about a low tech wearable—Shooz. This brilliant design allows one pair of shoes to change into many with a zipper! I discovered these kicks on This is Brainy, which happens to post many innovative products from around the world. These shoes rely on choosing a sole and a skin. Then, you can mix and match different soles and skins to create custom looks. The real win here is travel; the skins fold flat to pack in a suitcase, so imagine packing just one sole and then having options! For now their looks tend to be more sporty, although I did find a few vegan eco options that I would like. The point is, I think you are going to find more shoes offering this morphing feature in the future.
Shooz started out as a Kickstarter project and received enough backers to go into production. Currently they are being produced in China and you can read their humorous musings about the process on their blog. Needless to say, even Italian shoemakers are humbled when faced with sneaker soles. They are on pre-order right now, and I can’t wait to read a review. I really hope this grows into a movement because I love to pack light. Let’s hear it for smart design using zippers! On the topic of smart design, have you seen the Leatherman Tread? It’s another example of a low tech wearable that converts to many tools by taking apart the links. It comes in stainless or black steel, so you can choose to be flashy or gritty. It’s also TSA approved, so you can stand in line at the airport with confidence that you will still get to board your plane. In fact, I would be willing to place bets that security will be giving you compliments on your choice of jewelry.
Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!