FILLING PIECES: INCLUSIVE FOOTWEAR PAVING A PATH OF FOOTPRINTS WE ALL WANT TO FOLLOW
By: Hillary LeBlanc
When we think of how fashion has ebbed and flowed over the years, fashion disruption has been on the rise. Garments that dismantle the way we think about clothing as gendered, their price points and their creation are now highly sought after. Shopping has gone from finding something that speaks to you, to finding clothes that speak to your morals, values and finding a brand who’s ethos you align with. Shoe company Filling Pieces is born out of this shift.
At first glance, Filling Pieces may appear to be a streetwear brand that thrives off of their cool factor but the foundation of this brand really seems to be based on promoting inclusivity, social impact and sustainability.
In 2009, Dutch designer Guillaume Philibert wanted to design a premium sneaker at a fair price point. From this he invented the Low Top, which according to their website he claims was the first shoe to bridge the gap between streetwear and high fashion. The Low Top became a piece of footwear doubling as a symbol of affordable luxury design, which levelled the playing field. This sneaker was coveted by people of all genders, races, religions, and sexualities. Its legacy continues to be a symbol of a world united through the power of creativity, where boundaries between people have been erased.
Image Courtesy of https://www.fillingpieces.com
In almost fifteen years of existence, Filling Pieces grew from one single shoe to an international fashion brand with a large selection of footwear, clothing and accessory collections. The brand has continued to evolve, adapting and expanding to now include more innovative footwear silhouettes and a full ready-to-wear collection complete with bags, accessories and eyewear.
Image Courtesy of https://www.fillingpieces.com
With the mission to challenge the status quo, Phillibert has continued to push boundaries in the realms of luxury streetwear for more than 10 years. Navigating the traditional fashion industry in a way that encourages diversity, inclusivity and representation, Phillibert was given an opportunity to judge Holland's Next Top Model 2022 alongside Yolanda Hadid, Philippe Vogelenzang and Loiza Lamers.
While the Filling Pieces ethos includes high quality standards, nurturing young talent and further encouraging the personal growth of our employees, they also believe that the differences between us as individuals make us stronger collectively. To have a better understanding of their work, they have also created a 10 year documentary and retrospective of the brand.
Outside of the brand’s efforts to make footwear inclusive, they also create all products with sustainability in mind. They consider both minimizing their environmental footprint and maximizing social impact. Filling Pieces works with Second Life Textile to collect used clothes and textiles to give them a second life using cleaning rags, mattress stuffing, or transforming textile into new yarn for stylish clothes. As a member of Stichting UPV Textiel, a Dutch foundation championing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Filling Pieces takes accountability for their entire product lifecycle to increase the percentage of waste for reuse and recycling. They work with True Cost Label for a comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis, which breaks down the Filling Pieces supply chain at a granular level and looks at every single kilogram of material and production process required in order to make the shoe, capturing the full environmental and social impact.
The cotton Filling Pieces uses is 100% Global Organic Textile Standard certified, ensuring a minimum of 95% organic fibers. These organic fibers are grown without harmful chemicals and due to its natural processes it promotes healthier soils and ecosystem making it is also safer for the people who grow it and who wear it. The Global Organic Textile Standard also sets requirements on factories for the consumption of water and energy and for working conditions. Furthermore, all Filling Pieces shoe boxes are crafted from a mixture of materials from FSC-certified forests, recycled materials, and FSC-controlled wood, their polybags are 50% made out of recycled plastic, 60% of their leather is sourced from a Leather Working Group Gold Certified supplier and 40% from a Leather Working Group Silver Certified supplier.
Founder - Guillaume Philibert, Image Courtesy of https://www.fillingpieces.com
Filling Pieces has also gone so far as to break down how each shoe component is safe to use. The leather used is bovine leather, a by-product to the meat industry and is made out of 90% biobased renewable materials. Their tannery is the world’s 1st tannery with a USDA Biobased Certification, sourced from a supplier that is carbon neutral energy efficiency and carbon offsetting projects upon other certifications. The shoe components include soles that are sourced from suppliers holding ISO 14001 and 9100 approval. ISO 14001 is an internationally agreed standard for environmental management. ISO 9001 is an internationally agreed standard for quality management, as well as having PETA approved vegan shoe linings.
The corporate structure and culture is also very much aligned with their ethos; they have a Culture Club ensuring that the team engages in social activities organized by trusted charities, fostering connections like sports events with immigrants and refugees at Klabu. The team at Filling Pieces have also cut down on travel, use eco-friendly transportation and run their office with 95.8% wind energy, 4.1% hydropower energy, and 0.1% solar energy.
Each year on July 1st, Filling Pieces close their office to celebrate Keti Koti, commemorating the end of slavery in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. As the founder of Filling Pieces is of Surinamese descent they have created limited edition soccer jerseys, with 2022 proceeds supporting the Ilonka Elmont Foundation. In 2023, we've teamed up with Klabu's community to build the Filling Pieces x KLABU Clubhouse in Suriname.
From the creation of the brand, to the creation of the product and celebrating each identity of potential clients, Filling Pieces have considered every possible way to make the Low Top sneaker and every item they create safe and inclusive for the world to enjoy guilt-free.