November 5th, 2009

Twin brothers and designers R&E Praspaliauskas have designed a collection of shoes made of bread.

Called Bread Shoes (of course), the products come in a variety of designs and dough recipes.

Children’s styles are also available.

More information here.

Here’s what the designers say:

That’s right, boys and girls! Put some romance in your “loaf” life!

Edible… dries itself… made from bread… first in fashion… needs no pressing…feels good in dry climate… won’t sag

Every pair is unique and comes with a best suitable, hand-picked cardboard box.



Posted by Rose Etherington

88 Responses to “Bread Shoes by R&E Praspaliauskas”

  1. Xit Says:

    This project has no legs, boom tish

  2. andy Says:

    think i’ll stick with greggs!!

  3. Chris Holt Says:

    A few slices short of a loaf(er)

  4. Prof Z Says:

    How to be on Dezeen with no material?A designer must eat …It’s world crise, now. It’s quite difficult ,here is the process: design a bread shoe, make a photo send it to Dezeen then eat the bread… it a design diy lesson …

  5. Wynne Says:

    LOAFERS!

  6. Teo Says:

    This is just disgraceful. There are people starving, and we make shoes out of bread? There are no advantages in making such things, just aesthetics, and this is even, if not worse than starving a dog to death and calling it art. I usually don’t get upset but this is wrong. Please stand up to them!

  7. suffin Says:

    Okay. This is it. I quit designing.

  8. Thor Says:

    a que hora vas por el pan?

  9. signchic Says:

    At last… something to go with my toe jam!

  10. Chuck Anziulewicz Says:

    NO THANKS! I’m afraid I might get a yeast infection.

  11. Rach Says:

    it feels good in dry climate..?

  12. No No No No No No No Says:

    Next post? Salami socks maybe

  13. airwolf Says:

    um, i totally want a pair.

  14. tanya telford - T Says:

    from the information above i can’t so very well understand the message the designers are trying to convey with these shoes (im getting a mixed message), however re: materials i think the interviews on dezeen from the designers in Tokyo are pretty good in terms of conveying ideas on options re: materials & design (different view points),

  15. Jim Says:

    Whiskey
    Tango
    Foxtrot

  16. Theo Says:

    Do you ever get the feeling the world is mocking you?

  17. Broken designer Says:

    Nike does almost the same.
    Shoes made of bread. People who makes nikes shoes in asia probably earn enough to buy a piece of bread to eat. The same shoe that is bought for 100 dolars in the states.

  18. Marianne Says:

    I think it’s a good statement… : bread looks, in some ways, like loafers… no ? don’t they look, at first sight, confortable ?

    If we make a dress out of fresh meat, that’s ok, but… that isn’t ok for the shoes made of bread ? WHY NOT ?

    People are starving… come on, it’s just a statement… do you really think it’s going to be the next big thing ? everybody in bread shoes ?! I just see that as very affordable shoes… you can make your own out of bread, and eat a corner of it if you’re really starving.

  19. killa Says:

    Hey Dezeen you’ve been had, this is a joke, twin brothers “R&E Praspaliauskas” yeh right :)

    wheres their website ?

    Russian Bouroullec’s ?

  20. nexialist Says:

    h.r.giger did it in the early 70’s

  21. hj Says:

    what’s wrong with it? you can still buy the shoes and eat them. what about all those pumpkins that are carved at thanksgiving put outside to rot??? if you don’t wash your feet for some days and put those loafers on for a while before putting them in the oven, hmmm the smells, the flavours.

  22. modular Says:

    “Russian Bouroullec’s”??

    - You gotta be kidding, right?! The Bouroullec are pure industrial designers where everything has a meaning. A start. A middle. An end.

    Not of this pseudo-design just people to look at with no purpose at all to exist. This is not design at all.

    Now I wont be able to sleep at night, because someone calling this ‘russian Bouroullecs’ was the silliest thing I’ve read on Dezeen for a long time!!!!!!

  23. Prof. Z. Says:

    it’s eye catching , conversation starter , smile design, good for blog post ranking ( battle i like i hate, blablabla ), a concept ready for Eindhoven Design Academy?

  24. internautas Says:

    THey are Lithuanians? Why can’t I find their web page?…

  25. Michael Says:

    Really, is this upsetting? Less material and resources go into making bread then shoes. Anyone want to chart leather dress shoes vs. bread. I think this is both a clever and hilarious idea. The complainers should at least TRY them. They will help you to ROLL your HEELS!

  26. ae Says:

    Mmmmmmmm, cheesy!

  27. nioz Says:

    seriously?!
    does dezeen really post anything that is e-mailed them?
    be careful with your reputation, so many design blogs out there..

  28. Dariusz Says:

    This is just sad.. and insane. but funny nonetheless

  29. Oliver Sowerby Says:

    Pointless! I think the only reason this hasn’t been thought of before is because no-one thought it was a good idea.

  30. jmac Says:

    I appreciate that it looks like a Subway 12″ loaf. Ducks eat free at Subway.

  31. ness Says:

    horrible idea, people are dying all over the world because of hunger, and someone literally steps on what could have been their food.

  32. mirro Says:

    blasphemous.

  33. Norwege Says:

    Haha, a norwegian comedian named Kristoffer Schau made a practical joke wearing breadshoes, acting like a dutch iceskater. It’s named “Nederlenderen”

  34. CH-85 Says:

    What Jim said! How can this be design and worthy enough to be published!

  35. Seb Says:

    These are so cute and hilarious, they made me laugh. And then Teo going off on one has made me laugh more!

    Mercy me, I hope I have a dream about bread shoes tonight.

  36. Jim Says:

    I have actually tried this once, thinking that warm bread would would be nice. The feeling was not unlike stepping in poop- very unexpected. I guess its better to wait until the bread goes stale.

  37. luxor Says:

    when i saw this…i just went… aaahahahahaa!!!
    i give it 10 for the laughs!

  38. speek Says:

    hey teo,

    how about we send these to some starving people in less fortunate countries where they dont have shoes either.
    lets see what they decide to do with them.

    i’m just kidding

  39. Darius Ticklerod Says:

    bread shoes… you’ll f*cking loaf ‘em.

  40. 4EVA Says:

    I am totally, totally loving the irony of this project right from the R&E identity to baby loafers.

  41. Prof. Z. Says:

    @ Jim warm bread is very good concept….
    In a next future i will put my shoes in microwave…
    Starck design is not dead!!!!

  42. Prof. Z. Says:

    Very clever comment on design.nl blog this morning
    I hope influent design blogs will follow this steps….for “design for life”, design for our future and not design for ego,design for show, design for 8 hyper richs

    “It seems that across Europe, design graduates are stepping back from the strictly functional product-based work to more art and research oriented projects. There are less conceptually tricky objects, and more thorough explorations of ideas that challenge traditional definitions of what design is”.

  43. LK Says:

    — my dad would have said: “dont play with your food!”

  44. Prof. Z. Says:

    so be transgressive to be selected by inflents design blogs and by Li Ekelkkort …but then it’s a dead end because art design is a narrow and closed market dominated by dutch stars from Eindhoven…

  45. andy Says:

    Prof.Z/Zuy if i hear you mention starck one more time, I’m gonna make starck dead. ;-)

  46. Tom Says:

    Amazing. At least some people know how to have fun. Why is everyone that looks at Dezeen so pretentious? Lighten up.

  47. earl Says:

    haha well done!
    i think the brothers achieved exactly what they set out to do.
    as for dezeen, i think they’ve done it yet again by highlighting a provocative piece of work. i say great journalism – look how it’s got everyone’s designer underwear in a knot. ha!

    i believe everyone knows exactly what they are doing here.

  48. Sofa Says:

    Stupid! Just stupido… Not even a bakery would like this. :(

  49. Prof. Z. Says:

    good for post ranking in Dezeen but i really prefer the bakery by Tokujin Yoshioka

  50. ioseb Says:

    i think this post lacks a few drawings, like sections and plans… ))

    take it easy

  51. Prof. Z. Says:

    Starck vision again translate by google translate

    “All young people today want to do this job, but how many designers in the world live? In 2009, ten live well, one hundred correctly, and the other is the galley … The environment is still dominated by the stars of the genre, even if the manufacturers would like to move it. In fact, we will probably attend one of nuclearization of activities.”

  52. Henryep Says:

    I agree with Tom. Lighten up guys. Its nice to see people have fun with design. I dont think they are being proposed as a viable product to take to market and make millions and set the next fashion trend.

    If nothing else it has sparked off a good list of comments from everyone…I like it.

  53. Prof Z Says:

    best post ranking in dezeen’s last posts : this bread shoes and Dejection-moulding by Manuel Jouvin… Bon appetit!!!

  54. Marco Says:

    Hey Guys I think this project is much more honest than many other design projects: This is just a game, an experiment. It doesn’t want to be functional or to be a product, and honestly I don’t understand how you can even discuss about it.
    Many other projects don’t work, the difference is that they “pretend” to work.

    I think it’s good that Dezeen pubblish some of this “art” work sometimes.

  55. pa Says:

    Let them eat shoes!

  56. *MIRTEC* Says:

    less is more

    excellent!

  57. Xit Says:

    Heres to a great ‘bluff’ post by R&E they got what they wanted

    Cheers !

  58. adamd Says:

    what the holy hell.
    It’s like something Nathan Barley would wear.

  59. squeed Says:

    this was done by HR Giger.. not exactly a new idea is it??

  60. b.l Says:

    if the poor people of africa or another places see this design-how we play with bread?we should thanks our god and we shouldnot play with this fortune-bread.

  61. Tyler. Says:

    Brilliant!

  62. Beegoddess64 Says:

    Don’t be so worried about people starving while we make shoes of bread. This isn’t really proper food anyway. I think it is a good use of wheat-filled bread.

  63. gabs Says:

    They cost €12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good joke but, really, I could design and bake my own for €0.10 !!!

  64. Genji Says:

    Am I the only one who thinks that these shoes can’t possibly survive usage of even just a day?

    Had a good laugh though :-)

  65. enoone Says:

    Indeed squeed…H.R.Giger did it long time ago but in his case it had a meaning, because for him it was almost a “satanic” statement…

  66. ellen wang Says:

    i’ve seen many baker’s shops discarding expired bread or leaving them to birds, maybe they could give these to the designers for the bread shoes~

  67. KR Says:

    Love with bread shoes ?

    Are they serious ?

    Poor people have nothing to eat, and these idiots make bread as shoes.

  68. J Says:

    Are the “designers” of these shoes to blame other people are starving? No, so stop crying.

  69. Prof. Z. Says:

    good conversation starter = good design?

  70. Andyp108 Says:

    I cannot believe how seriously some people are taking this bit of fun. Lighten up guys, allow your stiff faces and hearts to crack a little and let some joy into your lives.

  71. ktanleysubrick Says:

    form me this is smart and funny. i have no porblem with ‘wasting’ the food’ idea.

  72. Håvard Says:

    A Norwegian comedian “invented” those years ago :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mwxE7Ky5hs

  73. somebody Says:

    wow, I always knew that designers and architects has no sense of humor and takes their profession too serious.

    It is smack to the face, no?

    brothers are not even designers, and they don’t have their web because they don’t give a shit.

  74. Onkel Munkel Says:

    and an idea for comedians….

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44yO9QzUzF8

  75. DanB Says:

    I can’t imagine using anything other than strong wholemeal flour for this.

  76. Fizz Says:

    Perhaps I could just SANDWICH a comment in here between much vitriol. This may not be the biggest thing since SLICED bread but if it does deserve the merest CRUMB of debate it should not be relating to the concept but rather the choice of materials.

    For me the CRUST of the matter lies in whether one should employ wholemeal or white flour – and organic at that. This may be a STALE subject for some but I feel quite relevant. As for the validity of this as Design, well… DOUGHn’t get me started….

  77. Pablo Says:

    Its a brilliant joke, a funny concept, a good laugh, lighten up guys!!!

  78. bootchec Says:

    Heh some time ago I’ve designed that:
    http://bootchec.com/folio_old/ilu/marsz_marsz.jpg

  79. vicarious1 Says:

    bootchec I guess someone has knocked your shoe off
    the walk the walk or talk the talk. They sure are breathable.
    Generally I am not a fan of playing with food but we are in a content creating
    designer world and reading the comments I guess they made their content.
    I give this the thumb up. If they make something eatable with the center or at least feed the birds and sell it for a reasonble price(if ever, I think it’s only a content PR excercise).
    For the rest just imagine filling them up. I have am planning sandwiches like that in my next party.
    No difference with a Tramezzini, just a different shape & taste.

  80. Karen Says:

    As an award winning piece of design…
    I think it’s a “shoe-in”!

    They’re funny and cute. And I agree, lighten up peeps, stop getting all ‘toey’ about a fun idea.

  81. Barnaby Twain Says:

    …ideally complemented with TOE JAM perhaps ??sneaker cheese?feet fromage evan?

  82. Kevin Blackburn Says:

    A bit of fun, but rather impractical. Wonder how comfy they are?

  83. Cam Says:

    Amazing how many people don’t have a sense of humour… or just plain don’t get it :p

  84. Cam Says:

    Very almost perfection! :D

  85. Cam Says:

    Some error caused my last message to appear on the wrong article… moderators please feel free to delete it! ;)

  86. SillyBug Says:

    While I don’t think that this will actually work, I liked the irony.

    Food is sustinance. It is what keeps a man and his family alive. And bringing food to the table is hard work. That’s why food is considered to be precious almost in a holy way in many cultures. Considering the food-shortages and the proportions of hunger suffered by people all around the world today, taking bread, this most basic of all food, underfoot looks to me like a statement of human beings losing perspective of what is really important and of priority.

    One can extend this to all loss of virtue, honesty and integrity, etc….

  87. Darren Kwan Says:

    Funny story;

    My Girlfriend and her best friend created bread shoes in high school when they forgot their pe shoes.

    Now a company has commercialised this successful innovation.

    SWEEEEEET

  88. Mendy Says:

    Hi there,
    I would like to order your products but I’m in Taiwan right now.
    Can I order it online and can you ship it to Taiwan?

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