Best foot forward: Indonesian makes shoes from chicken feet
A worker prepares a pattern for a Hirka shoe, made from the skin of chicken feet, at the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
It sounds like a riddle - what feet can be used to make shoes to put on your feet?
Nurman Farieka Ramdhany, a 25-year-old entrepreneur in the Indonesian city of Bandung, thinks he has come up with a cost-effective answer that promotes sustainability: skin taken from the feet of chickens.
Skin from chicken feet used in Hirka's shoe products are seen laid out during the drying process after being dyed at their workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
A rubbery delicacy in many cuisines, including dim sum, chicken feet are covered with skin that has a similar texture and pattern to snake or crocodile skin.
Ramdhany's father had researched these more exotic skins and recommended he try making shoes with chicken feet, which he started doing in 2017.
Now, Ramdhany and a team of five, including his father, produce shoes entirely or partially made from chicken feet in a labor-intensive operation that takes 10 days. They skin the feet by hand, dye the skins and sew them into pieces that can be fashioned into shoes.
Nurman Farieka Ramdhani, a 25-year-old craftsman, prepares Hirka shoes at his workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
It takes 45 chicken feet to make a pair of shoes, which are priced between $35 and $140.
Ramdhany said he is mainly motivated by the opportunity to use a waste product from fast food restaurants and markets, his main suppliers.
"The waste is a lot, that is why we try to process it to get more value from it," he said.
A worker prepares the upper part of a Hirka shoe, which is made using skin from chicken feet, at its workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
Food waste is forecast to rise by almost a third to more than 2 billion tonnes by 2030, the Boston Consulting Group forecast in 2018.
Ramdhany says customers like his shoes. "They say our products are comfortable to wear. So far the market response has been positive."
A worker prepares the upper part of a Hirka shoe, which is made using skin from chicken feet, at its workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
(Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Karishma Singh and Giles Elgood)
Hirka shoes made from chicken feet leather are seen at the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanThe upper part of a Hirka shoe, which is made with skin from chicken feet, is pictured at the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanNurman Farieka Ramdhani, a 25-year-old craftsman, arranges boxes of Hirka shoes at the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanA sign advertising Hirka shoes made from chicken feet leather, is seen outside the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanA worker prepares a pattern for a Hirka shoe, made from the skin of chicken feet, at the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanThe Hirka logo is seen in a pair of shoes made with the skin of chicken feet at the company's workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanSkin from chicken feet used in Hirka's shoe products are seen laid out during the drying process after being dyed at their workshop in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, February 28, 2020. Picture taken February 28, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
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