Peterson Stoop, the Dutch upcycled footwear brand, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in collaboration with 14 local Dutch creatives. The brand pays tribute to their anniversary by spotlighting these creatives, bringing together art, sustainability and footwear in a portrait series. Addressing the problem of avoidable waste in the footwear industry, Peterson Stoop highlights how innovation can drive circular design through design. The brand launched the portrait series with a press breakfast at their studio to celebrate their 10-year journey.

Looking back at Peterson Stroop over the last 10 years
Peterson Stoop has been at the forefront of upcycling sneaker for ten years; the brand remains true to its sustainable core and craftsmanship. The founders, the Dutch duo Jelske Peterson and Jarah Stoop, focus on the problem of the growing waste mountain of sneakers. In fact, sneakers have become disposable products that are not designed to last through care and repair. Peterson Stoop therefore developed unique, innovative techniques for circular design to provide a solution to this increasing problem. In the Netherlands, the design duo remained relatively under the radar, at least among the general public, but they gained a lot of respect and fame among local sneaker lovers and internationally. Their striking design in combination with the design solution has now led to collaborations with big names including Iris van Herpen, Timberland, Grenson and Jeff Staple.

Brian Elstak
Gisele Azad
Bodil Ouédraogo
Borre Akkersdijk

Celebrating innovative design
In honor of their 10th anniversary, Peterson Stoop portrayed 14 like-minded Dutch creatives, including Borre Akkersdijk, Bodil Ouédraogo, Thekla Reuten, Brian Elstak and Gisele Azad. With the Resoul™ technic the brand extended the lifespan from the creatives favorite pair of shoes. A lasting tribute to the important steps they have taken in their lives and careers, celebrated in the portrait series of up and coming photography talent Elke van der Honing.

Resoul™ is Peterson Stoop’s technology that extends the lifespan of old sneakers. Customers can send in their own sneakers to be resoled, where the old sole is replaced with Peterson Stoop’s unique repairable sole. The Circle Welt™ collection are second-hand sneakers that are transformed into a Peterson Stoop design. They also have their third collection called the Patchwork collection, in which the entire sneaker is build up of different parts of sneakers. This system allows shoes that would otherwise be thrown away after use to be given a new life again and again.

De Circle Welt™
De Patchwork-collectie
 Resoul™
De Circle Welt™

Sustainable design from the ‘sole’
Sustainability has always been a core element of Peterson Stroop. Upcycling sneakers has been found to be a solution to keep existing sneakers out of the waste stream for longer. This helps combat the current problems of increasing waste caused by products such as sneakers that have essentially become disposable.

Looking ahead, Peterson Stoop aims to be a pioneer in making footwear repairable and to further develop this. Within the sustainability plan, Peterson Stoop emphasizes future materials and partners that have been carefully selected. In addition, the development of the new launch of Peterson Stoop in 2024 has been announced: an advanced techniques that will be suitable for repairing and upcycling even more types of shoes, not just sneakers. These unique techniques give non-repairable shoes a new sole, and thus a new life or a new ‘soul’.

The sneaker prices are from €495 to €900 and are available via the Peterson Stoop website: www.petersonstoop.com