A new direction for the Straw Sandals Project is the collection of representative contemporary shoes and sandals that use woven components. This is happening in both lower and high-end brands. Our first contemporary entry into the collection is C25, a pair of high heel raffia-covered sandals made in China by Rocket Dog. Shoes by this brand are priced to be broadly affordable and the designs appeal to younger women. Contemporary designers use mixed material construction and the various materials are typically produced in different countries, so the shoe industry is truly a global enterprise. Thus, it is more appropriate to say that a shoe is assembled in a particular country rather than made there. The woven material covering these sandals is raffia straw. The straw may have been produced from Raphia palms grown in Madagascar, East Africa, or even the Philippines. It may have been woven in the country of origin or the fibers may have been shipped to China for weaving. Rocket Dog likely purchased the woven raffia cloth for assembly of these shoes. It is very difficult to sort out the supply lines and assembly strategy that various companies use. Woven fibers are combined with leather such as the foot bed used here and synthetic materials such as the soles of these sandals. The sole form may be either wood or synthetic material. The woven material is an environmental friendly renewable resource that gives workers in developing countries jobs and holds down the cost of the item. In a way this may help preserve the ancient weaving crafts, so long as the weaving is done by hand and not by machine.
