Execution

In India, scrap tyres - a little known environmental threat - is becoming graver by the day, thanks to a booming automobile industry. JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. sought a solution with a degree of difference, not another worn-out appeal for recycling. So we decided to make recycling appealing to everyone. The idea was to convert what was unwanted to the most desired. Tyres, till now abandoned, were to become lifestyle products. We saw the youth of the country as our partners and spokespersons. Hundred promising students of the Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI), the future designers of the country, were selected to participate in a week-long workshop held at the institute. Months of hard work turned discarded tyres into hi-fashion footwear and accessories. On April 19, Soles with Souls, a one-of-its-kind Fashion Show & Press Event, unfolded in New Delhi, Capital of India. A five-star hotel was selected as the venue and the guest list comprised the members of our Soles with Souls facebook page, NGOs, students of FDDI and who's who of the society. The response was tremendous. 60,000 Facebook post views in three day. Media coverage worth Rs. 30,000,000. The shoes were exhibited and auctioned at various venues in the city. A reassuring 4000 email enquiries. There’s more on the cards. JK Tyre will be retailing scrap tyre merchandise. The government has announced a 30-40% subsidy on footwear made of recycled tyres. Making footwear of scrap tyres will be on the curriculum of FDDI.