Estel Alcaraz designs wellington boots you can squash into a bag
With heavy rain forecast for this weekend's Glastonbury, festival-goers will be wishing they had a pair of these lightweight wellington boots that can be rolled up and stuffed in a bag (+ movie).
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_sq.jpg)
Called Sardines, the boots squash down to a fifth of their original size and have been developed by Barcelona designer Estel Alcaraz.
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_1.jpg)
She got the idea after getting caught in the rain without adequate footwear and wishing there was a more portable alternative to traditional rain boots.
"One evening in February 2012, I got caught in the rain," Alcaraz explained. "By the time I got home, my clothes were soaking wet, even my socks."
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_6.jpg)
"When I arrived home I saw a squashed water bottle," she added. "It was interesting to see how its volume was reduced to one fifth. At that moment, I wondered why my rain boots couldn’t reduce in size just like the water bottle."
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_2.jpg)
The boots are made of injection moulded thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) - a highly elastic, recyclable plastic.
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_sqa.gif)
"This material allows Sardines to be one of the most efficient types of rain boots for transportation, while also helping to reduce the impact on the environment," says the designer.
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_7.jpg)
The name Sardines comes from the Catalan expression "estem com sardines," which means to be squashed like sardines in a tin.
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_9.jpg)
Alcaraz has designed a logo based on a sardine tin to reinforce the point. "I have squeezed my boldly coloured rubber boots as tightly as sardines in a tin," she told Dezeen.
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_4.jpg)
The boots come in a range of bright colours and feature an elasticated strap that can be used to keep the boots together when folded, and worn as a garter when the boots are worn.
"At the moment Sardines is only a project, although I'm looking for some options to commercialise the concept," said Alcaraz.
![Sardines by Estel Alcaraz](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/06/Sardines-by-Estel-Alcaraz_dezeen_8.jpg)
Sardines was recently awarded joint second prize in the 2014 Designpreiz Halle design competition, which this year was themed around water.