Lakat Sneakers wins top prize at Good Design Awards Philippines

The Department of Trade and Industry, through the Design Center of the Philippines, has unveiled this year’s winners of the Good Design Award Philippines. Among the 32 awardees across five categories, Lakat Sustainable Sneakers stood out in Object Making.

The Design Center of the Philippines noted, “This year, we received 204 entries from around the country. Since we launched the Good Design Award Philippines in 2019, we have gained significant traction and expanded our reach to as far as Tawi-Tawi. Lakat Sustainables was one of the winners under the Object Making category that ticked off all the boxes of our screening perspectives -- form, function, innovation, user experience and malasakit.”

The homegrown, sustainable sneaker brand was also given the Green Award, which is an accolade given to projects, products, or services that represent that highest level of sustainable design.

During the awarding ceremony, Lakat Sustainable Sneakers’ co-founder, Michael Claparols, expressed: “If there is one emotion our winning entry can convey, it is hope. Lakat embodies the hope for a future where fashion and sustainability co-exist harmoniously. By using eco-friendly materials and supporting local communities we aim to inspire a positive change in the industry and show that it is possible to create stylish, high-quality products without compromising our planet’s well-being.”

Intrinsically, Philippine design is driven and informed by malasakit or our natural sense of compassion. The team at the Design Center of the Philippines explains, “Good Design Award Philippines is a national, biennial design excellence recognition system that seeks to discover outstanding design works made and systems executed in the Philippines that address social problems to enrich the quality of human life.”

High-quality sneakers

When Lakat Sustainable Sneakers was launched in 2021, the social enterprise endeavored to create high-quality sneakers utilizing a supply chain that was 100-percent local, ethical and eco-conscious. Engaging local communities of farmers, weavers and shoemakers was also integral to the brand’s journey in sustainable design.

Both founders, Michael and Banj Claparols, expound: “The Philippines is the world’s second biggest producer of pineapples, second to Costa Rica. It is the biggest producer in Asia. This is an industry that supports a lot of communities across the country.”

It also happens that the leaves from pineapples are typically unused, and are often discarded as waste. “Our goal was to find meaningful and relevant uses for this abundance of discarded pineapple leaves. In doing so, we are able to help farmers earn additional income. The big idea is to create value from discarded pineapple leaf fibers through material innovation and product development,” they added.

In partnership with the Philippine Textile Research Institute’s Technology Business Incubation Program, the socio-eco enterprise gained access to technology that would allow them to produce sustainable yarns and fabrics using Philippine pineapple leaf fibers. After the yarns are pre-treated, spun and dyed at the PTRI, these materials are then sent to the Negros 9 Weaving Community in Kabankalan in Negros Occidental.

Lakat’s founders add: “Our brand is largely defined and fueled by a complete production value chain. The rubbers we use are sourced from family-run farms in Mindanao. We also work closely with shoe makers to assemble our sneakers in San Mateo, Rizal.”

Throughout the entire production process of Lakat Sustainable Sneakers, the lives of over 200 families are impacted. “Everything is design,” asserts the design group. “Deliberating and selection of winners are not merely based on the beauty of an object. We consider how an idea, concept or system makes people’s lives and society better.”

This year, Good Design Award Philippines enlisted the expertise and experienced eye of 35 jurors, all of whom are design luminaries who represent the various design lenses across industries. According to the jury, “Lakat Sustainable Sneakers are a welcome alternative to bulky athletic shoes made from synthetic or animal-based materials. This product is light on the feet, handmade from natural fibers and farmed rubbers and has a simple, pared-down look that makes it versatile. The company’s focus on mindful sustainability extends beyond the product, to the solar-powered production process involving local weavers, to the packaging, which is made from agricultural waste.”

Winners of the Good Design Award Philippine are automatically considered for the Good Design Award Japan, which will happen on 7 and 8 August at Chiba, Japan.