Everyone had a favorite pair of shoes they wanted to keep wearing even when their seams and soles started to come apart.
That may become possible with Palingenesy, a Kyiv initiative that combines bits of old sneakers to create a new pair that is truly unique. The brand emerged in August and plans to start selling in November.
And there is an ecological upside: The parts of old shoes are used to create new ones with almost no carbon footprint and the rest is fully recycled.
“Old sneakers don’t have to be burned as trash. We’re showing that there is another way,” says founder of Palingenesy Mitya Hontarenko. “And it can also be cool.”
Palingenesy stems from a passion. A self-described sneakerhead, Hontarenko started customizing sneakers in 2019 for himself, friends and a couple of local celebrities, like rapper Kyivstoner and boxer Denys Berinchyk.
It was a creative outlet for a young manager at a tire company, who comes from Donetsk, a city occupied by Russia-backed militants in Ukraine’s east.
“I realized I liked it (customizing sneakers) when I would wake up at night to draw,” Hontarenko, who is now 26, told the Kyiv Post.
But after a while, simply painting and decorating sneakers felt limiting for Hontarenko, especially since so many people do it these days. A blessing in disguise helped: While stuck at home recovering from a knee injury in 2020, he started tinkering with two old pairs from his collection. And something clicked.
“On my balcony, I cut two Nike models and sewed them together by hand intuitively,” Hontarenko remembers. “I showed this first pair to friends, and they said ‘Damn, it’s lit!’”
Palingenesy mixes parts of old sneakers no matter the brand to create new unique pairs that they call “art that you can wear.” (Palingenesy)
Reassembling sneakers from other pairs was then a new idea for Hontarenko, he says. But there have been a few others doing similar things around the world.
The pioneer is Helen Kirkum in London, a designer who usually takes apart one pair of sneakers and puts it back together in a deconstructed high fashion aesthetic. In Japan, Shun Hirose of Recouture shop fits popular sneakers with outsoles from other shoe types, like boots or brogues.
But what Hontarenko set out to do was still different: custom handmade sneakers created from an unlimited number of worn old pairs and intended for daily use in street fashion. And the brand is no obstacle: His sneakers can be built from parts of Nike, Adidas, Puma, Asics, etc.
Soon, friends introduced him to Elena and Nick Yarovenko, professional shoemakers who would become his confidants. But first, he had to persuade them to go against their training in making shoes.
“They would tell me ‘It doesn’t work this way,’” Hontarenko says. “But after we made the first pair together, they changed their mind.”
Having day jobs in Kyiv, the three are now creating upcycled sneakers after work or on the weekends in a cozy shed outside the city. They called their emerging brand Palingenesy to reference the concept of rebirth in philosophy and biology.
A pair is handmade in about two days. Hontarenko, who designs the shoes, compares the process to painting: With elements added on the go, the design may change at every step. Most importantly, each pair and even individual shoe is different.
“It’s art that you can wear,” he says.
And it has a message.
Palingenesy brand takes apart old sneakers to create unique new pairs with their parts. This way, the old shoes are fully recycled and don’t contribute to land and air pollution. (Palingenesy)
Shoe production accounts for 1.4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Measuring Fashion report by Quantis sustainability consulting firm. This is significant given that air travel is responsible for 2.5% of emissions that impact global climate.
According to the World Footwear Yearbook, the world produces over 24 billion pairs of shoes annually. Their many components are hard to recycle, so most shoes end up in landfills, where the plastic parts decompose for centuries. Otherwise, shoes are incinerated, contributing more toxic gas emissions.
Palingenesy gives a new lease on life to parts of shabby shoes. The residue, like plastic shoe soles, are sent for recycling. And the production of a new pair leaves a minimal carbon footprint.
While their small production volumes won’t have a global impact, Hontarenko says they may draw attention to the problem and show the alternative.
“If these things bother you — you have to talk about it. If no one hears you — you need to do something,” Hontarenko says.
And his cause is gaining traction. An established Ukrainian streetwear brand, Riot Division, has put up a box for old shoes in its store, which Palingenesy will use to create new sneakers. Hontarenko now also works on other ecological initiatives at Riot Division.
Palingenesy is currently working on its first for-sale collection. They want to release sneakers in monthly drops, with the first one planned for November. Starting price for a pair will estimate at $100.
But Hontarenko is in no rush to make Palingenesy a commercially oriented project. They take time to ensure that each pair is uniquely handmade, has the best quality and carries the message for sustainability.
“This story started as an action art,” Hontarenko says. “If it grows commercially — cool, if not — we will still deliver our message through our products.”
Palingenesy sneakers will be available through the brand’s Instagram in November: www.instagram.com/palingenesy___
