Rhino inspired shoes stomp US market
FUNCTIONAL: Sole Creatures rhino design aims to bring attention to the plight of the endangered species
Thursday, 29 May 2014
CPUT students were at the forefront of creating an innovative product taking the US by storm.
Sole Creatures is an animal-inspired children’s shoe line developed by conservation enthusiast Gary Flax who identified CPUT students as the creative brain power he needed to get his project off the ground.
Flax travelled from Johannesburg to work with Industrial Design students and after an elimination process, four students assisted him in the development phase of creating the one-of-a-kind range.
Using Biomimicry technology, Sole Creatures design features an exterior as tough as rhino skin, non-slip soles featuring the animal’s print impression and the general look and feel of a rhino in the design.
TREAD: The sole of the shoe leaves a rhino footprint behind
Other styles in the range are inspired by whales and elephants.
Flax says he is indebted to CPUT for the assistance he received in the planning and implementation of his dream.
“If we don’t do something fast about poaching we are going to lose all of the rhinos. I aimed to make an attractive but comfortable shoe that would train and educate people about the rhino’s plight,” he says.
After getting endorsed by National Geographic Kids, the range has exploded in popularity in the US and a number of celebrity endorsements are currently being discussed.
But despite the imminent success of his creation Flax says he will never forget the incredible creativity and enthusiasm he encountered at CPUT right at the beginning.
“The students were so creative and did a brilliant job. I would love to collaborate again at a later stage,” he says.
Check out the range at www.solecreatures.com
Written by Lauren Kansley
Tel: +27 21 953 8646
Email: kansleyl@cput.ac.za
Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.
News categories
- Advancement 13
- Alumni 77
- Awards 42
- Campus Life 20
- Community Engagement 158
- Disability Unit 12
- Applied Sciences 93
- Business & Management Sciences 90
- Education 96
- Engineering & the Built Environment 131
- Health & Wellness Sciences 87
- Informatics & Design 69
- Fundani CHED 25
- Funding 19
- GBV 16
- Graduation 80
- HIV/Aids Unit 39
- Know Your CPUT 65
- Libraries 18
- News 3712
- RTIP 286
- Residences (Accommodation) 14
- Staff 629
- SIIP 38
- Students 1282
- Student Health 43
- Sport, Arts & Culture 112
- SRC 4
- Student Affairs 11
- University Leadership 17
- Varsity Shield 17
- Vice-Chancellor 24
- Work-Integrated Learning 21
- THENSA 10
Latest NEWS
Photo Credit: Iviwe Tom
Nursing Science Department celebrates Nurses Day
Monday, 08 June 2026
Read more
