© Martín Azúa
For Camper’s shoe stores, Martín Azúa designed a rug made from the soles of espadrilles. These sandals are made from esparto, a grass with a long tradition in Spain. For this carpet, Azúa worked with women artisans in the region of Murcia to keep the production local (unlike Camper for their shoes unfortunately).
© Martín Azúa
Esparto is a very eco-friendly material as it is fully renewable, grows in abundance in Spain and is also biodegradable. It seems Azúa has gotten the gang of it, after launching the Get Up Esparto seat last year, and now the Tread Carpet. This is definitely a rug with a small footprint (pun intended). Let’s hope these products inspire more designers to give esparto new functions while at the same time create jobs for artisans in Spain.