Mismatch© provides the perfect, accessible solution for people with foot conditions. By offering new, single shoes for sale, people can create a customized mismatched pair to fit their specific footwear needs. The footwear is accessible for children and adults of all ages and sizes. Thus, it gives people with foot disabilities the opportunity to experiment with footwear fashion with various options of style and colour.
Foot disabilities prevents normal body movement and/or control. There are many different types of foot disabilities, amongst them are growth deformity, injury, amputation, or loss of limb. While a number medical treatments and corrective equipment can assist with such conditions, they often hinder opportunities for the affected individuals to assimilate into society. A major issue is access to shoes, mainly due to the rudimentary system of selling and packaging shoes as pairs.
At least 23% of people have to buy two separate pairs of shoes due to foot disabilities. This often results in a waste of money and the disposal of unused shoes. Mismatch© is a new shoe package system that targets this problem and proposes an accessible solution that reduces, if not eliminates, this waste. It provides opportunity for people from all “walks of life” to access the basic need for shoes, as well as experiment with footwear fashion.
The traditional shoe package was revamped to take the form of a shoe itself. In this way, the package serves its purpose by cushioning the shoe, as well as introduces the idea of the shoe box as a space saver. Though, the main focus is foot disabilities and the idea of accessible shoe package design that targets people who require a single shoe or a mismatched pair.
Ultimately, shoes tells the story of a period, society and the conditions from whence they came, while shoe boxes preserve the shoes. My package does exactly this. It wraps the shoes and encloses it in the same way an insole, cast or prosthetic leg protects the foot. In this way, the package signifies a deeper meaning on the context in which it belongs, that is the realm of accessibility and foot disability.
