made of compacted dirt and seeds, yerba madre's shoes plant flowers as they break down

dirt shoes let nature reclaim your footsteps

Dirt Shoes, created by conceptual design practice Basura for yerba mate brand Yerba Madre, were never meant to last. The shoes are made entirely from compacted dirt, tree sap, plant fibers, and wildflower seeds. As they’re worn, they slowly disintegrate, breaking down underfoot and scattering seeds into the soil, allowing native wildflowers to grow in the footsteps of the wearer. It’s a project that shifts the focus from how products are made to how they eventually leave the world and what they might leave behind.

images courtesy of Basura and Yerba Madre

Basura creates footwear crafted from earth for Yerba Madre

The shoes are entirely biodegradable by design, and while their impracticality might seem counterintuitive at first, it is in fact central to the New York-based practice’s concept. Rather than aligning with the disposable mindset of fast fashion or the fixation on durability found in performance wear, Dirt Shoes proposes a value rooted in the principles of circularity, slow decay, and quiet ecological renewal. ‘Dirt Shoes are a statement of regeneration, circularity, and commitment to give more back to the planet than we take,’ explains Emily Kortlang, Chief Marketing Officer of Yerba Madre. The project seems to ask, what would it look like if the things we make were designed not to persist but to disappear with purpose?

The shoes were developed over the course of five months, during which Basura brought together a team of material scientists, artists, and sculptors to make a pair of shoes from dirt that is strong enough to walk in but fragile enough to fall apart. ‘A key challenge was engineering a shoe made of dirt that could support the weight of a person while still being flexible enough to walk in,’ says Rajeev Basu, the founder of Basura and the project’s lead artist. The final design comes in two universal sizes and strikes a balance between durability and decay.

Once worn, the shoes begin a process of slow erosion. Cracks form, pieces crumble, and eventually all that remains is a small pile of dirt and scattered seeds. The shoes are designed to physically break down and return to the ground, planting something new rather than leaving trash behind.

Dirt Shoes are designed by Basura for Yerba Madre

the pair is made from compacted dirt, tree sap, plant fibers, and wildflower seeds

as the shoes are worn, they slowly disintegrate 

it’s a project that shifts the focus from how products are made to how they eventually leave the world

allowing native wildflowers to grow in the footsteps of the wearer

Dirt Shoes proposes a value rooted in the principles of circularity

a pair of shoes from dirt that is strong enough to walk in but fragile enough to fall apart

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Zaya Guarani is the first Indigenous model born and raised in the Amazon to appear on the cover of Vogue

her involvement reflects Yerba Madre’s ongoing mission

each pair comes in two sizes (universal S and L)

project info:

name: Dirt Shoes (find more here)

designer: Basura | @basuranewyork

commissioned by: Yerba Madre | @yerbamadre

sizes: Universal S and L