When I was doing preliminary research for this project, I noticed that a lot of the Kenneth Cole shoes were featuring an interesting tread on the bottom. This got me thinking about the possibility of what could be put on a tread. I started looking at the bottom of my shoes and a few had patterns and such, but nothing seemed to have too much thought to it. Then I began thinking about all of the wonderful things that the Kenneth Cole brand stands for and how it is a shame that not every customer that goes into a department store to buy his shoes knows about his activism. I was thinking, if they flipped the shoe over and saw something unexpected, they would want to learn more. I decided that the shape of the treads on these shoes were going to be QR codes. The QR code would link the customer back to the Kenneth Cole website where the consumer would be able to learn more about Kenneth Cole’s activism and how their shoe falls into the Kenneth Cole pillar system. What is interesting about the QR code, is that you could take a picture of it from the bottom of someone’s shoe, but if someone was walking through the mud or the snow and left the impression there, the person behind them could snap a photo of the QR imprint left behind. It is a play on leaving a carbon footprint. Everything we do affects the environment, but the fashion industry is a large part of what is polluting our earth and using up natural resources. It is important for fashion companies to think about what their footprint looks like and be able to own up to it. I think that the Kenneth Cole brand has great ethics and the QR codes could be a wonderful platform for them to be discussed.