I’ve always had a huge fascination with shoes. Maybe because my grandfather was a shoemaker in Norway, as was his father before him. I also have a deep love for our planet and a passion to preserve it. But it took me a near-death experience to figure out where I would go with all of this.

Meningococcal meningitis almost killed me when I was 19. When I was rushed to the hospital I didn’t know if I would survive (spoiler alert: I did!). Lying four months paralyzed in bed gave me a lot of time to reflect on my life, the world, and how I wanted to contribute. I realized that every day is a precious gift and that there is no time to waste.

After my recovery, I moved to California to study at the Academy of Art. While there, I developed a bag collection made out of disposed military tents. This resulted in thousands of people cruising the streets of San Francisco with old waste that was upcycled to something that was beautiful and useful for lots of people.

That made me wonder… if I could design a bag this way, was it possible to make shoes that are good for people and the planet? That’s the moment I realized that the ultimate design is circular. That is, to co-create products that could become something new when its lifetime was over.

I decided to travel the world across Europe, South Asia, and Latin America to learn everything I could about the craft of shoe design and production. I met many fascinating people, from small family suppliers to manufacturers. Many of them wanted to contribute to a future where business lives in harmony with the planet. It was a movement that had to begin with an intentional, eco-conscious design that challenged old norms and conventions.

I committed to that. And in 2018, New Movements launched its very first shoe collection. Since then we are working every day to inspire a circular design philosophy. Our first step on this journey is to co-create the perfect circular shoe.

I hope you want to join us on this journey. 

Martin Evensen
Founder & Designer