This is Not a Shoe
This is Not a Shoe is a research-informed, participatory creative project based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia, that transforms end-of-life shoes into unexpected artefacts and accessories. Through hands-on workshops, participants learn to see familiar materials differently, uncovering creative possibilities in objects that have reached the end of their intended use. Through creative experimentation, the project explores material lifecycles and speculates on circular reuse and design strategies to inform a more sustainable future.
SHOE STORIES
Annalise’s Birkenstocks: From Walker to Talker
Our second IWD story comes from Annalise Gehling, a school teacher, maker, and gardener. Annalise brought her beloved brown Birkenstocks to the workshop, worn-out from years of everyday use, with soles that had become little more than rubber socks. Instead of the bin bag that would once have been their fate, they became Birk: a hand puppet with a message and ambitions of his own (watch this space!).
Emma’s Stepping-Stone Shoes
To mark International Women's Day, we’re launching a new series of stories from participants in the This Is Not a Shoe workshop, held at Pennie Jagiello's studio at Abbotsford Convent as part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2026. We begin with Emma Stenhouse, proud Ngarrindjeri woman, artist, weaver and early childhood educator, whose story of transformation, through her shoes and beyond, opens this celebration of extraordinary women.
More Information:
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![Hands swapping shoes across a table]()
Workshop Guide
Freely available resources to run the ‘This is not a shoe’ workshop as an activity or assessment.
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![Three pictures of a deconstructed Vans sneaker remade into a body harness, worn on a body and styled on a dressmaker's mannequin.]()
The Affordances of Affordance Theory for Sustainable Pedagogies Research Project
Find out more about the original research project, which evolved from Dr. Alexandra Sherlock’s doctoral research to inform the scholarship of learning and teaching.
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![A black and white flat-lay picture of a deconstructed Adidas Superstar sneaker.]()
Sneaker Deconstruction as Project-Based Learning
Read about the delivery of the ‘This is not a shoe’ workshop to sixth-form college students as a project-based learning activity.
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![A beige canvas shoe deconstructed and remade as a decorative collar, styled on a dressmaker's mannequin with a white T-shirt with a fluro pink slogan.]()
This is Not a Shoe overview
Access the This is Not a Shoe research outcomes, including a recorded presentation of a 2022 research paper for the International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) Conference at Nottingham Trent University.
