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A sneaker made from corn? The idea might seem surprising. Yet, corn is now one of the materials used to create certain alternatives to animal leather in fashion, and particularly for sneakers. At Mood Walk, we have chosen a corn-based biomaterial, manufactured in Italy, to design our vegan sneakers. But how do we actually go from corn to a material suitable for a pair of sneakers?
What is a corn sneaker?
When we talk about “corn sneakers,” one should obviously not imagine a shoe made entirely of corn.
This expression refers to sneakers whose certain components are made from a material incorporating resources derived from corn, used as an alternative to certain conventional materials.
At Mood Walk, the corn-based biomaterial used for the exterior of our vegan sneakers is manufactured in Italy. It is combined with other materials selected according to their use in the shoe: vegan suede, recycled mesh, recycled cotton, recycled foam, and rubber.
A sneaker is indeed a complex product. Each part must meet different requirements for flexibility, resistance, comfort, or breathability.
How does corn become a material for vegan sneakers?
The transformation does not consist of using corn kernels directly in the shoe.
Components derived from corn are processed to be used in the manufacturing of a flexible and resistant material, suitable for certain parts of a sneaker.
The result takes the form of a material that can then be cut, assembled, and sewn like other materials used in the manufacturing of a shoe.
It is this innovation that allows for the integration of a plant-based resource into the design of a contemporary vegan sneaker.
At Coronet, our supplier for Mood Walk, the corn-based material is marketed under the BioVeg range.
The starting point is non-food, non-GMO corn. We are therefore not diverting corn from the food chain.
The corn is harvested and processed. The components of the grain are separated, notably starch and sugars from the fibers.
These plant components are used to produce bio-polyols.
This is the essential step. We don't just grind corn to make a fabric: certain molecules derived from corn are chemically transformed to obtain bio-sourced polyols.
In BioVeg, part of the raw material traditionally of fossil origin is thus replaced by a raw material coming from corn. This is what allows for a material presenting the properties necessary for the shoe: flexibility, resistance, and the possibility of working on the surface appearance.
The material is combined with a recycled textile backing or coated on cotton.
BioVeg is therefore not "100% corn." Coronet specifically indicates using post-consumer recycled polyester or cotton, combined with bio-polyols derived from corn. Depending on the references, BioVeg materials can reach up to 81% biomass.
In summary, the process is as follows:
🌽 Non-food corn
→ starch + sugars
→ transformation
→ bio-polyols
→ combination with a textile backing
→ flexible material usable for the sneaker 👟
Does corn completely replace leather?
In a Mood Walk pair, no animal leather is used.
However, this does not mean that corn alone constitutes the entire shoe.
It is used in a biomaterial applied to certain exterior parts and the lining of some of our sneakers (for the Wild Walker and Master Mind models, the lining is also made of this corn-based biomaterial) and coexists with other vegan or recycled materials.
This distinction is important: talking about responsible fashion also involves explaining precisely what a product contains, rather than letting people think that a complex shoe can be made from a single plant-based material.
Why does Mood Walk use a corn-based material for its vegan sneakers?
When we imagined Mood Walk, we wanted to offer an alternative to the traditional sneaker without using animal leather, while retaining what seems essential to us in a sneaker: style, comfort, and the ability to accompany daily life.
The material also had to allow us to work with colors, texture combinations, and the details that constitute the identity of our collections.
The choice of a corn-based biomaterial fits into this approach: to explore other ways of designing a sneaker and reduce our dependence on materials of animal origin. In our opinion, it is also the most flexible, resistant, and aesthetically pleasing plant-based biomaterial, more so than pineapple, apple, or grape leather.
What other materials are Mood Walk sneakers made of?
Corn is only part of the story.
Depending on the model, Mood Walk sneakers combine several materials coming from different European areas of expertise.
For the exterior, we notably use vegan suede from Spain and a corn-based biomaterial manufactured in Italy.
Inside, the lining is made of recycled mesh for the Dream Big and French Touch models, chosen for its softness and breathability. The Master Mind and Wild Walker models have a corn lining.
The laces are made of recycled cotton.
The insole is removable and composed of recycled foam from Spain, while the rubber outsole is manufactured in Portugal.
The various components are then assembled during the manufacturing of our sneakers in Portugal.
Is a corn sneaker necessarily vegan?
Not necessarily.
The presence of a plant-based material in a shoe is not enough, on its own, to conclude that the entire product is vegan.
A sneaker can, for example, incorporate a corn-based material while using animal leather on another part.
To know if a pair is truly vegan, one must look at its entire composition, and not just the material highlighted on the label.
At Mood Walk, our approach is precisely to design sneakers without animal leather.
Is a plant-based material automatically ecological?
No, and this nuance is essential.
“Plant-based,” “vegan,” “recycled,” and “ecological” are not synonyms.
A plant-based material can also contain other components necessary for its technical properties. Its impact depends on many elements: exact composition, manufacturing process, origin, lifespan, or even transport.
This is why we prefer to explain the materials used in our sneakers rather than presenting the word “plant-based” as an absolute environmental guarantee.
Where are Mood Walk sneakers made?
Mood Walk sneakers are made in Portugal in an experienced family workshop that works for premium brands.
This choice allows us to bring together different European components within a manufacturing process carried out in a country with genuine expertise in footwear.
Our corn-based material comes from Italy, our vegan suede and recycled foam from Spain, and our sneakers then take shape in Portugal.
This geography is an integral part of the Mood Walk story.
Are corn sneakers meant to be worn daily?
In any case, that was an essential condition for us.
A material innovation only makes sense if it allows for the creation of a shoe that one actually wants to wear.
Our Dream Big, Wild Walker, French Touch, and Master Mind models were therefore imagined as everyday sneakers: for walking in the city, going away for the weekend, traveling, or simply accompanying a workday.
The goal is not to create an “ecological shoe” that one buys only for what it represents, but a sneaker that one chooses first because one likes wearing it.
The Dream Big model is available in 5 colors, composed of our corn-based biomaterial for the exterior of the sneakers with vegan suede inserts, recycled mesh for the lining, rubber soles, recycled cotton laces, and recycled cardboard packaging.
French Touch model, available in 3 colors, same composition as the Dream Big sneakers: our corn-based biomaterial for the exterior of the sneakers with vegan suede inserts, recycled mesh for the lining, rubber soles, recycled cotton laces, and recycled cardboard packaging.
Corn, a new way to imagine the sneaker
The development of materials incorporating plant-based resources opens up new possibilities for brands that wish to design shoes without animal leather.
Corn is not a magic solution and does not, on its own, transform a sneaker into a zero-impact product.
But it shows that it is possible to question traditional materials and explore new ways of manufacturing sneakers.
This is precisely the approach of Mood Walk: to combine material innovation, European manufacturing, comfort, and design to create vegan sneakers designed to be worn, truly.
Also to be discovered:
How to choose your first vegan sneakers?
Vegan leather: understanding everything about this new biomaterial used in vegan sneakers
