AUT-designed WOO-LACES now on sale

Forget boring shoelaces - meet the Woo-lace. Created by AUT Bachelor of Design student Jacob Smith, the award-winning Woo-lace makes an ideal stocking filler.

The laces which won Jacob a Silver Best Award recently, are stylish, washable, good for the planet, and don’t come undone so you won’t trip up. They’re just $15.99 a pair and you will be able to buy yours at www.steaddi.co.nz, the AUT Shop, and selected gift shops.

Made from NZ strong wool, this sustainable, durable lace is dyed with vegetable skins and comes in four colours. And even the aglets (those little tubes at the end of a lace) are made from biodegradable material.

A self-confessed sneaker head, Jacob, who majored in Industrial Design, developed the laces in AUT’s Strong Wool Studio paper. Students design a product using strong wool, a locally-produced fibre, traditionally used in carpets, rugs and upholstery, that often goes to waste due to its low market price compared to soft wools like merino.

“The laces are naturally durable, washable, odour-resistant, plus they have the added advantage of not coming untied like synthetic laces tend to, so you probably won’t want to throw them out anyway,” he says.

Made from strong wool from Palliser Ridge Farm in the Wairarapa, the Woo-laces are dyed different colours using food waste like onion, cabbage, lettuce, avocado skins and coffee grounds.

AUT School of Art & Design’s Strong Wool Studio paper is run by Dr Jyoti Kalyanji and Dan Collings and is supported by partners from the New Zealand wool industry, including Palliser Ridge Farm. AUT Ventures has supported the commercialisation of the Woo-lace.

Jacob also plans to use his design skills to create other strong wool products including clothing, belts, and, sticking with footwear, those inside backs of shoes that often wear out.

_{AUT Vice-Chancellor Damon Salesa and design student Jacob Smith try out the Woo-lace.}