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The Lace Up(cycle).

The Lace Up has landed—and just like all things Rothy’s, our newest sneaker innovation is knit with the planet in mind. Since we’ve always been passionate about transforming sustainable materials into beautiful styles, we thought we’d celebrate the women's lace up shoe launch with a fun new upcycling series. 

We asked a couple of our craftiest team members—as well as a friend of Rothy’s—to get creative around the house. Take a look at their planet-friendly creations. 

 

Propagating plants with Lauren.

Growing green: Propagating plants with Lauren. 

What are you upcycling?

I wanted to give my friend a plant as a gift. Instead of buying a whole new plant, I decided to propagate one of my favorites—a Monstera! 

Why did you choose this project?

I absolutely love having plants in my home. My boyfriend and I have been adding to our collection over the past 3 years! But plants can be really expensive, especially if you factor in a brand new pot. Propagating is fun and easy, and I love that all you need to start is just one happy plant.

Close up images showing how to propagate plants.

What are the steps to doing it?

All you need to propagate a plant like a Monstera is some scissors and a glass for water. 

  1. You’re going to look for what’s called a “node”—in the case of my Monstera, this is a piece of arial root that’s poking out from some of the leaves. 
  2. Cut right below that spot, and then pop your plant in water. 
  3. After a few days, you’ll see the node start to make roots. Wait for the roots to grow a little, and then repot your plant in soil. 
  4. Once you repot, let your new plant baby sit for a day or two before watering it. 
  5. Ta-da! You now have a beautiful baby plant. 

How are you styling The Lace Up?

I got The Lace Up in Lilac because I’m a capsule closet girl. On a regular day, you’ll find me in jeans and a neutral-colored T-shirt. This pretty hue was the perfect, subtle way to add just a bit of color.  

 

Natural dyeing with Clara.

A natural choice: Natural dyeing with Clara. 

What are you upcycling?

I love looking for crafts to do at home, so I’m taking some handkerchiefs and naturally dyeing them with kitchen scraps—onion skins, avocado pits and a few berries I’m guilty of keeping for too long! 

Why did you choose this project?

I had a couple handkerchiefs that needed some love as well as some leftovers in the pantry—so I thought I’d combine these two and try my hand at natural dyeing.

A laydown of naturally dyed cloths.

What are the steps to doing it?

The natural dyeing process was a lot simpler than I thought!

  1. Boil your piece of cloth in a large pot with a few spoons of soda ash and detergent. Let simmer for two hours. 
  2. In a separate pot, place your dye ingredient in water and simmer for at least an hour—or until you get the hue you’re looking for. 
  3. Strain the ingredients out of the dye solution and let it cool. 
  4. Place the still-damp cloth into your dye solution, stirring occasionally. 
  5. Remove when you get the desired color, keeping mind that it will lighten once the cloth is dry.
  6. Let the piece of cloth air dry—and you’re all done!

What’s one thing you love about The Lace Up? 

I love that The Lace Up combines everything you could want in a sneaker into one cool, comfy shoe. It’s soft while still feeling sturdy, and sustainable yet stylish.

 

Upcycling newspaper into necklaces with Saskia.

A new kind of necklace: Papier-mâché accessories with Saskia. 

What are you upcycling?

I’m using papier-mâché to upcycle old newspapers and packaging into geometric beads for a necklace!

Why did you choose this project? 

I love papier-mâché because there’s this moment of transformation that turns a simple object like a newspaper into a versatile construction material. I have a collection of colorful necklaces and thought it would be fun to make an upcycled necklace.

Images showing how to make a papier-maché necklace with newspapers.

What are the steps to doing it?

  1. Clean some old packaging and pull a newspaper out of the recycling bin. 
  2. Draw and cut out shapes onto paperboard packaging—you can use an online template for inspiration. 
  3. To make the papier-mâché, cut out strips of newspaper and dilute a water-based glue. 
  4. Cover the cut-out shapes with strips of newspaper dipped in glue, repeating so you have several layers. 
  5. Once dry, paint the shapes and string them on a cord for your very own necklace. 

What’s one thing you love about The Lace Up? 

I’m all about sustainability—so I love that we not only used recycled plastic water bottles for the upper, we also used excess thread for padding around the ankle. Brilliant! 

Making a glass jar candle with mason jars and orange peel.

  

The green light: Glass jar candles with Jhánneu.

What are you upcycling?

I’m making candles out of a used glass jar and orange peels!

Why did you choose this project?

I was looking to make a cool and sustainable DIY candle, and this seemed fun and easy to do. I love that it also reduces food waste. 

Mason jar glass candle, pictured with The Lace Up in Bright White.

What are the steps to doing it? 

  1. Eat your oranges and keep the peels.
  2. Grab an old glass jar and fill it with orange peels, rosemary, and hot water.
  3. Add the candle, light it, and you’re good to go! 
  4. Now you have a great way to make a low waste, non-toxic candle. 

What’s one thing you love about The Lace Up? 

I love that they are so easy to pair with anything and super comfy! You can’t get better than a stylish and sustainable shoe. 

How are you styling The Lace Up?

I like keeping my outfits simple—so I’m paring The Lace Up in Bright White with a simple black tee and jeans!


SHOP THE LACE UP

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