For his final-year project, Evan Stuart, Product Design student in DIT, designed an ‘everlasting shoe’ with replaceable, biodegradable parts. 

His motivation was the fact that more than 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown into landfills each year, never to be recycled. “I had five essential criteria to make this work: the shoe being recyclable, repairable, customisable, sustainable and eco-friendly. They also had to look great and be comfortable.”

All the shoe parts – soles, uppers and insoles – are removable, so when one component wears down, the person can repair and even customise their shoes.

Evan, the first national winner from DIT in the 14-year history of the James Dyson Award, received €2,500 for his groundbreaking idea. He credits studying Product Design in DIT, "The creative design abilities, technical expertise and business acumen I have developed have been instrumental in designing this product. The guidance of my supervisor, Mr Keith Colton, was invaluable.”

Also excelling at the James Dyson Awards, a team of DIT Product Design students – Rachael Ryan, Olivia Holbrook, Jane Devine and Jack Griffin – were awarded a coveted runner’s up spot. The team developed Tide, a device to provide a reusable and universal menstrual-health kit for refugees.

Dr Colm O’Kane, Programme Chair, says, "We are delighted with our students’ achievements. Their triumph is a testament to the hard work they have put into their studies. Staff from across DIT have made extensive efforts to deliver this cross-disciplinary programme. It is very encouraging to see our students succeeding on a national and international stage.”