Kyrgies has loyal fan base who clamor for the world’s most sought-after and fashion-forward house slipper. They’re made from wool felt in Kyrgyzstan, thanks to hearty sheep who graze in its mountainous pastures. Processing the wool into usable goods is left to collectives of artisans who’ve learned the centuries-old techniques of felting.
Kyrgies’ cofounder and president Barclay Saul saw an opportunity for comfy and stylish footwear made from Kyrgyzstan felt for a savvy American audience. Sales took off, with a slide-like, clog-style slipper being the company’s most popular design.
But with sales come the occasional return, so when they began taking up space in his Chesterfield warehouse, Saul saw yet another opportunity. “They were perfectly wearable,” he says, “but they had a little cosmetic challenge” like a nick in the felt or a scuff on the sole and couldn’t be sold as new.
To solve the surplus, Saul partnered with FABSCRAP, an organization that collects the fashion industry’s fabric excess, along with students at Drexel University. Kyrgies proposed reworking the slides into a new collection that uses deadstock demin as a decorative element. “It’s a great illustration of a successful circular design collaboration,” says Saul, adding that the trifecta—Kyrgies, Drexel, and FABSCRAP—also demonstrates how old and new processes can work together. Kyrgies.com
This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue.
