A packaging solutions company has proven cardboard can have utility in sneakers far beyond the box.

Vans partnered with Ernest, a 77-year-old company out of Los Angeles, to make a cardboard slip-on that stood up to a skate test from four professional riders. Processes including overscoring and making relief cuts were applied to a single layer of cardboard to create a material suitable to constitute an upper, offering support, flexibility and Vans ‘ signature checkerboard print.

Once the specialized cardboard was finalized, it was brought to the Vans factory in Vietnam to be treated just like canvas or leather. Pieces were cut out, stitched together, reinforced with padding and leather trim and then subjected to the vulcanization process involving heat of 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

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