Tag Archives: expanding

Revolutionary sneakers expand to fit your growing feet

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Of all the pieces of clothing that we regularly buy, shoes are probably the most tedious. We need to get the fit just right, because, unlike regular clothes, we don’t simply grow into them nor do they shrink after several washes. In fact, shoes are often discarded once our feet have outgrown them, making footwear rather wasteful and unsustainable. What if, however, your shoes could grow with you, at least for a while longer? That’s the kind of kind of unbelievable value that these sneakers bring to the table, or on the ground rather, promising footwear that stretches and expands to accommodate the varied, uneven, and complicated needs of your feet.

Designer: Dr. D’Wayne Edwards for Target

Given their still-developing bodies, it’s not really surprising that kids would outgrow their shoes faster than their parents can keep up with. Adults, however, aren’t immune to this problem, as their feet can expand and contract a little during the day. That perfect fit you might have at one time might not be so perfect anymore sooner rather than later, and the financial and material waste that comes from buying new pairs often definitely adds up.

UNOS by Sz is a revolutionary sneaker design that solves this problem, at least for a while longer than you would normally chuck out the old Chucks and buy new ones. The shoe can expand by a half size for kids and a full size for adults, and it doesn’t even look like some complicated contraption to make that possible. It does look like it has a cracked or split sole, which is actually the secret to its magic. Turn the shoe over and you’ll see the patented Z-shape running across the sole, allowing the shoe to stretch a bit farther than its initial size.

This unique design solves many footwear problems, not just ones involving growing feet. People whose feet have slightly different sizes don’t need to buy two different pairs of the same design just to have a matching pair, and people who need bigger shoe sizes than what’s available don’t have to give up either. It’s a very economical solution to a problem that’s often taken for granted, ensuring that “U Need One Size” only, which is what the shoe’s name stands for.

Of course, the sneakers are also made to be comfortable to wear, regardless of your current foot size. The upper has an unconventional sock-like shape that can stretch to adapt to the wearer’s foot shape. It also makes the shoe breathable and easy to slip your foot into, also fixing one of the biggest pain points about having to wear shoes quickly.

The post Revolutionary sneakers expand to fit your growing feet first appeared on Yanko Design.

Orbital is an expanding dining table that shows off its beautiful complexity

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When we buy dining tables, we often take into account how many people there are in the household, plus two more people just in case. That said, while we have more control over the size of our own family, we can’t always predict how many people might be coming over for a meal or a party. Expanding dining tables are pretty much the only flexible solution for that problem, but most designs for this kind of table are either cumbersome or unattractive. This elegant dining table, in contrast, is already beautiful on its own, especially with its class transparent tabletop. It also uses a seemingly smooth yet nontrivial mechanism to expand itself, and it’s not ashamed to put that on display, especially since it only adds to its appeal.

Designer: Pininfarina

Most expanding tables, whether for dining or for work, are made of wood, probably because it’s a material that lends itself well to moving parts. The most common designs involve either flap on one or both ends that can be raised to expand the available surface or sliding panels that may or may not involve moving the table’s legs as well. Either way, these tables require a bit of effort to expand or contract, making them inconvenient and discouraging to set up unless absolutely necessary.

The Orbital dining table makes that process effortless and even has some level of finesse that matches the table’s appearance. The tabletop and its extensions are made from clear tempered glass, which makes the aforementioned mechanisms impossible to use. Instead, the table has an automatic mechanism that moves the extensions from under the table using a smooth, circular movement. You don’t have to worry about lifting or pushing fragile glass since the complex mechanism takes care of that for you.

Better yet, the table makes this mechanism the visual centerpiece of the design as well; its metallic body and arms can be clearly seen from the top as well as the sides. It doesn’t hurt that this part of the table is as well-made as the rest, making it as much a work of art as a product of engineering. It definitely adds to the table’s charm, making it a great conversation starter for guests and friends alike.

The tabletop and mechanism are supported by a rigid polyurethane column that has a large central opening that makes it feel like the table is defying physics. It helps emphasize the Orbital’s character of transparency, both in the way it works as well as the way it looks. It is a minimalist design that belies the sophisticated mechanism that makes it work, yet at the same time, is unabashed in revealing its guts, albeit in a very classy way.

The post Orbital is an expanding dining table that shows off its beautiful complexity first appeared on Yanko Design.

This clover-inspired table has expanding ‘leaves’ that increase its size by 4x!

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Based on the geometry of an octahedron, the Clover Table by Peter Nasielski comes with a metal frame, a central tabletop surface, and three wooden leaves that fold outwards to expand the table’s surface-area by 400%.

The Clover Table’s expanding design is uniquely appealing because of two key elements… One, the fact that the table’s design doesn’t focus on its space-expanding nature… the Clover Table looks like any chic, minimalist table when closed. And Two, the way the Clover expands is so simple and fun, it gives it a positive interactive element that’s useful and worthy of showing off!

Perfect for small apartments, balconies, or backyards, the Clover table gives you the convenience of compact size along with the flexibility of expanding it when friends come over… and who knows, its clover-inspiration may bring it some luck too!

Designer: Peter Nasielski

The Lido table’s hinged side-panels give it the ability to expand to 3 times its size

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The Lido looks like any innocuous table or kitchen-island, but give it a few adjustments and you can increase its area threefold. Made from oak (although it could just as easily be made in any other type of wood), the Lido uses hinged side panels to expand in size whenever you’re expecting extra company. Just lift the panels up and a mechanism causes an extra pair of table-legs to pop out too, giving you a stable table (I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it). Perfect for smaller apartments, the Lido comes with a relatively low physical footprint, but gives you the ability to swiftly and easily expand when you have guests over.

The Lido Table is a winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2020.

Designer: Nak Boong Kim

One shoe that fits from childhood to adulthood

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It took just one instance in Kenya, in 2007, when Kenton Lee noticed that a little girl in a white dress next to him had shoes that were way too small for her feet. That one instance set him on the path to creating The Shoe That Grows, a low-cost-high-lifetime shoe that expands up to five sizes and lasts for over five years, for underprivileged children around the world… and helped mold the philosophy behind his non-profit organization Because International, with the aim of “making things better by making better things.”

Kids grow fast, which means they outgrow their clothes and shoes rapidly too… forcing low-income-family children to either wear shoes even after they stop fitting, or walk around barefoot. On a mission to make one shoe that lasts through this growth process, Kenton launched The Shoe That Grows, an innovative piece of footwear that expands to fit children as they grow with age (much like the Petit Pli clothes that expand in size).

Ill-fitted shoes are uncomfortable, but walking barefoot leaves children vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases and parasites that can cause illness and even death, aside from the cuts, burns, and blisters. The Shoe That Grows combats the unfortunate scenario where children outgrow their footwear by being the one pair of footwear that grows with them. Extending at the front, sides, and the back, the sandals work simply like a belt would… expanding with size and necessity. With a tough, compressed-rubber sole, leather body, and durable metal clips, the sandals boast of high-quality, high-durability, but low-cost materials to provide one solution that accommodates expansion up to 5 sizes and lasts for years, even under rough conditions. Available to own and/or even distribute, Because International lets you not just experience the expanding sandals (or expandals!) first-hand but also fundraise and be a part of their noble undertaking. Go ahead… put your best foot forward!

Designer: Kenton Lee (Because International)

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Click Here to Buy Now or Donate