Awesome of the Day: Mike Leavitt's Cardboard Kicks

For shoe-lovers, there’s nothing quite like the day you purchase a brand new pair of sneakers. The only problem is that as soon as you start to wear your kicks, their perfect beauty begins to fade. If only there were a way to retain a pristine version of the shoe, and save the planet from excess shoe box waste. Enter Mike Leavitt and his recycled-cardboard kicks.

Leavitt is a Pacific Northwest artist who has perfected the art of recreating iconic items from pop culture with recycled materials. His Hip Hopjects line focuses on to-scale models of everything from a gum wrapper Ghetto Blaster to a paper bag KeyTar. Leavitt also sells patterns for making your own pairs of recycled footwear. Check out some of his shoes in the gallery below.

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