How old flip flops come back to life

Ocean Sole’s Solomon Muthini (left) and Eric Mwandola at the company’s workshop at Karen, Nairobi. The artists use discarded pieces of slippers to create works of art for sale locally and abroad. PHOTO| CHRIS OMOLO

What you need to know:

  • To kick off the business, Ocean Sole needed raw products — wornout flip flops. Church contracted women from the nearby community to collect them and take them to the company’s collection centres.

  • The company would then transport the material to its workshop in Nairobi. For every two pairs of slippers, the women get Sh20.

  • “Most of the flip flops used here come from slums and dump sites,” says Maureen Oyoo, an employee. “Others are also brought from the waterways.”

Flip flops. You slip them on, walk around in them, flap dust with them and, when, worn out, dump the pair in the nearest bin, because that is all it they are to you. Garbage.

While your relationship with the pair of rubber ends the moment you bin it, Charles Kimeu’s link with them begins. He takes your old flip flops and turns them into exceptional pieces of art.

Tucked away in the leafy suburb of Karen, Nairobi, is a little company dedicated to conserving marine life. Behind the well-trimmed hedges, Ocean Sole’s operations come to life.

On a recent visit, we find a heap of wornout flip flops left to sun dry after being cleaned, waiting to be turned into masterpieces.

While we are mostly accustomed to the sight of wooden carvings, Ocean Sole has opted for rather unique carvings. They make animal sculptures and other ornaments, and they are gaining popularity in the local and international markets.

From the flip flops, Kimeu and other craftsmen at Ocean Sole make brightly-striped elephants, flame-hued rhinos, towers of coloured giraffes and bright sea creatures.

“Many people find it strange to see carvings made from slippers,” says Kimeu. “When I started working here, I found it rather difficult making sculptures from rubber,” says Kimeu.

The art, however, was born some hundreds of kilometres away on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Marine conservationist Julie Church started the company while working on a sea turtle preservation project in Lamu.

By observing children make toys from waste material, Ocean Sole came to life.

“While in Lamu, I noticed that children were making toys from waste,” says Church. “Children in Kiwayu, where I was working, used flip flops to make boats and airplane toys that floated.”

So an idea was hatched to rid the shore off debris.

“Many sculptures we see are made of wood. One thing that buyers do not notice is the aspect of deforestation that emanates from making such objects. They are beautiful, yes, but we are creating an environmental hazard,” says Church.

To kick off the business, Ocean Sole needed raw products — wornout flip flops. Church contracted women from the nearby community to collect them and take them to the company’s collection centres.

The company would then transport the material to its workshop in Nairobi. For every two pairs of slippers, the women get Sh20.

“Most of the flip flops used here come from slums and dump sites,” says Maureen Oyoo, an employee. “Others are also brought from the waterways.”

The flip flops are then cleaned and disinfected before being put out to dry. Then they are sorted according to colour.

“After cleaning and drying, we have to do the selection not only to group them into matching colours, but also to separate coastal slippers from the rest because they are not easy to carve due to the corrosion from salty water,” Maureen explains.

When dry, each of the 25 artisans picks a basin full of flip flops ready for use. It is here that Kimeu and his colleagues peel off the old, exposing the picturesque side of their sculptures.

Armed with knives, special carving foams, bottles of glue and sanding machines, the artisans embark on their day-long jobs.

“When I was first told to use flip flops to carve, I found it strange because it entailed patching up. I thought to myself, ‘Can anything look good from a match’. One has to be keen to form the carvings,” says Kimeu.

Church not only appreciates the end products, but also says the flip flops have eventually become a tool for connecting the community to marine life.

“It is through the collection of the slippers that we clean up the beaches for nesting turtles.”

The company, which was started 18 years ago, has today recycled over five million flip flops, or about 500,000 kilos. In a week, it receives 1,000 kilos of slippers.

“This kind of art is fun and is a colourful solution to the waste problem in the country, especially with debris that ends up in the waterways,” says Church.

 “All we needed was a bottle of gum, a knife and the flip flops to create our master pieces.”

Selling for between Sh2,500 and Sh255,000, the sculptures of animals that are made in varying sizes have found their way to the living rooms of art lovers in the country and in the international market.

The company now exports the carvings to New Zealand, Norway and Australia, among other Western countries.

The chief executive, Mr Des Shiels, says that they have a bigger market in Europe.

“We started marketing our products in hotels locally, but we wanted to expand. Now we are big on the international market,” he says.

“We aim to educate people on conservation, particularly ocean conservation. Each item we sell carries a message on conservation.”

From the flip flops, the artisans can carve an impressive giraffe sculpture that is up to two metres high.

“Every single Ocean Sole product is handcrafted to protect the oceans and teach the world about the threats of marine debris. The products we make are tangible and create a synergy between people and the environment,” Kimeu adds.

Today, more than 40 young men and women have found jobs at the company.