SARAH KLASSEN

Work Archive About Shop

KIT
2024
Timeline / 10 Weeks
Team / Olivia Oomen, Naomi Pleasure-Park

KIT is a modular shoe system created to address the footwear industry’s sustainability crisis. Balancing self-expression with environmental responsibility, the three‑part system can be quickly separated to swap out styles, also making repair and recycling much simpler. Highly functional without sacrificing style, KIT helps you feel good about your footprint.

Keep it together

Each KIT includes our signature sole and the upper style of your choosing. It’s all held together by our flexible cage that’s easy to remove and swap out when you need. It’s just that simple.

Embracing modularity

The project appeared on display at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery and made use of a repurposed modular structure from Studio Matthews. Each panel was created using reclaimed cardboard to reduce waste created by the exhibition.

Inviting expression

Our vibrant and playful identity represents the infinite possibilities with KIT. The primary symbols and patterns are each made using the pieces from the logo mark for some fun and functional adornments. And when it comes to breaking down the facts, the isometric line art clearly communicates while blending into the brand.

Made to be saved

The packaging was created with storage in mind, and with an understanding that everyone’s KIT may look different. Each component nests beneath the next, encouraging shoppers to store their spare parts in a tidy stack.

Shoes for everybody

The catalogue shows off each seasons’ upper styles and also includes a guide to our gender-free sizing system. We make sizing and swapping easy, so you can focus on fit.

How might we design a brand identity that highlights sustainability and invites self-expression?

As a collaborative project involving both visual and industrial designers, the brand identity was developed in conjunction with the product itself. As a result, the brand and the shoes grew together. Olivia—our industrial design collaborator—began by conducting research and guiding our group discussions about what the product could look like.

We visited a sneaker exhibition at the Portland Art Museum, referenced trend analysis from WGSN, did a competitive analysis of current sustainable footwear, experimented with biomaterials, and did market research on Gen-Z. (Above, left to right)

Interested in how an acronym might lend itself to the brand identity, we landed on KIT which stands for “Keep it together”. This represents the stackable, buildable quality of our modular shoes while also allowing for some fun copywriting opportunities that encourage users to build their KIT expressively.

The logo was created using a modified version of hyper script, a modern stencil typeface that we thought looked a lot like the bottom of a shoe. We then used the shapes created from the letters’ negative space to create the foundation for our identity. We turned these shapes into patterns and symbols that decorated the soles of the shoes, screen-printed packaging, cutouts on the exhibition structure, and more.

Once that baseline for the brand was in place, we began to develop how we wanted to tell our story. Our initial concept was to convey versatility by showing the shoes in a variety of locale. I photographed our first location using our own shoes, with the intention of editing renders into the photos at the end. However, as we began to work towards the final exhibition, we realized we wanted to prioritize creating physical prototypes.
Our final project was to be displayed in person at the gallery, so although we initially explored web design and animation, we pivoted away from renders and digital deliverables and towards tangible prototypes—using the in-person setting as a creative constraint to guide our storytelling.

As the final prototypes were in development, we set to work on the final deliverables. Striving for balance and legibility, the fifth iteration of our structure design became our final.