The NEUNOI beetle gang
The PURPURMOCK is small and yet stronger than its big enemies. It is a tiny beetle with a shiny, hemispherical armour that shimmers like a purple gemstone. Its superpower is one of the most impressive in the entire beetle universe: with around 10,000 tiny adhesive bristles on each foot, it can cling to a leaf so firmly that an enemy would have to apply 60 times its body weight to tear it off!
... Did you know? Its larvae are inventive too: while they grow, they build themselves a protective shield out of material they produce themselves.
... And they can even repair the shield if it gets damaged!
The WEISSZWACK takes its time to grow. It is the king of the forest: with its huge, antler-like jaws it looks like a super fighter. The males use these impressive “antlers” not for eating but for duels in which they throw their rivals off branches!
But the Weisszwack wasn't always this big and strong! Before transforming into its adult form, it spends a lot of time in rotten wood, helping to tidy up the forest for years. It teaches us: it takes time until something is truly strong.
... Did you know? Despite its scary appearance it is a peaceful inhabitant of the forest that feeds on tree sap. Sometimes it even gets a little tipsy when the sap starts to ferment: a clumsy, buzzing giant whirring through the forest in summer.
The RUBINHORN is a true explorer! Imagine a tiny beetle whose body shines so red that it looks like it's wearing sparkling armour made of gemstones. That's the Rubinhorn – a rather curious beetle – constantly crawling and exploring, it finds sweet treasures in unusual places.
... Did you know? The Rubinhorn is a real gourmet among beetles and pounces with great appetite on apples, peaches and plums. With its long snout it reaches the sweetest part of the fruit directly. The little beetle can feast its way through entire orchards and is a true glutton among insects.
The BLAUSCHURF loves renewal. This beetle is one of nature's most important recyclers. It collects organic leftovers (e.g. dung), feeds on them and brings them back into the soil. There they become new energy for plants and life. What looks like waste to us is the beginning of something new for it.
... Did you know? Once a Blauschurf has formed a dung ball, it has to roll it away from the dung heap as quickly as possible in a straight line so other beetles don't steal it. To navigate straight in the dark, the beetle climbs onto its ball, turns around once and orients itself by the band of light of the Milky Way. It is the first known animal proven to use our galaxy as a compass – a built-in, galactic GPS system!
We're still finding our feet.
A cycle doesn't happen on paper, but in real life. Only after the first production will the really exciting questions arise:
What does it take for the shoes to actually be sent back? How do they look after the first and second repair round? Will they find a third or fourth home? We don't know yet. And that's exactly what we want to find out together with you children and families.
FAQ
Has your NEUNOI become too small? Then we'd love for you to send it back to us! Because we have a vision: one day, only old, repaired NEUNOIs should be up for sale. Made to be repaired: for us, sustainability starts with the product's design. NEUNOIs are made from surplus materials and built so they can easily be repaired, passed on and worn again. By sending yours back to us, you give a sneaker a second life.
As things stand, every NEUNOI that's ordered is still unworn. To reach our goal of one day selling only pre-worn sneakers, we're currently collecting as many old NEUNOIs as possible. We repair them and – once enough sneakers have been gathered – put them back up for sale.
You can start your trade-in in two ways: 1. Scan the QR code on the tongue of your old sneaker and follow the instructions. 2. Select the next size up of your chosen model, click the “Send in old sneaker” button and follow the instructions on our site.
NEUNOI sneakers are designed so that individual parts can be swapped out easily. That way the whole shoe doesn't have to be replaced – only what needs fixing gets fixed. First, the sneakers are sorted into categories by how much repair they need. The refurbishment then happens systematically and in larger batches, so work steps can be sensibly combined.
NEUNOI was developed in Zurich, Switzerland. The sneakers are produced in Portugal, near Porto.
If the sneakers belong to the same series and the same colorway, they all look exactly alike. Differences can arise in re-production and will arise in individual repairs. They show that we work with local, existing materials and give every sneaker a one-of-a-kind look.
We only work with surplus materials that already exist and in comparatively small batches. Once a material is used up, the corresponding colour series ends too. Luckily the inventory we have access to is enormous and far from exhausted, so we can still make plenty of new, exciting colour combinations from it!
Our beetles are meant to bring children joy and spark the urge to discover nature's little wonders in a playful way. For their size, beetles are incredibly strong! Each of them is a specialist in its field and part of a huge ecosystem that has been regenerating itself for thousands of years. Our Blauschurf, for example, gathers organic remains and returns them to the soil. There they become new energy for plants and life.