Valeria Montejo is a 22-year-old woman from Yucatán who started a project to create shoes from recycled plastic and sargassum seaweed in Mérida.
“The idea of using sargassum in shoes was born a year ago, during some vacations in Cancún, and after not being able to enter the beach because of it. Due to it, I began thinking about a solution to take advantage of that problem and thanks to some classes at my university, where they explained to us that we could mix plastics with different materials to be able to create products, I got the idea of producing shoes since that area has always interested me,” said Valeria in a phone interview with EL UNIVERSAL.
The young woman explained the process to use the seaweed.
“The first thing I did was to pick up the sargassum seaweed at Yucatán beaches such as Chabihau and Telchac. Then, with the help of a friend from school, I soaked it in water to remove the sand, and then, I strained it with a special net. After washing it several times with purified water, we filtered it with a small baking machine and let it sundry.
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Likewise, Valeria required help from experts to be able to create the shoes. “The designs are mine, but I don’t have the tools or machinery to process the materials, so I got in touch with a shoemaker, told him about the project, and he suggested me some companies in Ticul since, in that city, their main source of income comes from shoemaking. I was able to get in touch with the factory; they accepted, and I gave them the dry and ground material,” said the woman from Yucatán.
“Once the materials were processed, I bought them the bases they had made for me and went back to the shoemaker to continue with the project,” she added.
The young student revealed that her collection will be called “Marea” (Tide), a name inspired by the beaches of the Yucatán Peninsula. “I was in charge of the designs, inspired on the beach and sea of the peninsula. I took my designs to the shoemaker and he, with his great experience, made the plans for each model and recommended some materials that are commonly used in shoes .
“I made nearly 10 models; however, the collection will be comprised of five different models; ones are more casual than others,” said the young woman.
Hence, she mentioned she has already received first impressions on her eco-friendly collection. “When we finished the shoes, I showed them to different women in the area so that they could give me their opinion. In general, they said the shoes were really comfortable because they adjust to the feet. Although there were also some mistakes that have already been corrected,” she asserted.
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Nevertheless, Valeria asserted that her shoes do not still have a set price. “I’m still working on the price, but they could cost approximately MXN $500.”
The pandemic affected her plans
Valeria had to suspend her project due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is a huge obstacle; as product designers, we propose an idea, but we are not the ones who make the product; we often depend on many people.
“In Yucatàn, many cities and towns closed their doors to prevent the spread of the virus. That affected production a lot.”
Finally, the young woman from Yucatán plans to sell her products once the pandemic slows down. “I would like to produce more shoes and sell them. I also want to be an entrepreneur and make my way on the world of work,” she mentioned.
“Shoes have always interested me, not only because of their aesthetic but also because of their design. I am really happy, surprised, and proud. I hoped there would be a positive result and it happened,” she said.
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