Expandable Shoes - The Shoes That Grow With Your Child

Kids grow fast, one minute their shoes fit, the next they’re squeezing their toes into a size too small. With 22 billion pairs of shoes ending up in landfills every year globally, outgrown shoes are more than just a personal problem, it’s an environmental one too. Many are barely worn, especially children's shoes, which get outgrown quicker than they wear out. But what if we tell you that shoes could grow with your child? A new generation of expandable shoes is trying to do just that making life easier for parents and better for the planet. These shoes are designed to fit longer and to rethink how we buy, use, and discard footwear. Let’s meet the pioneers behind this idea.

Because International - A Shoe That Changes Lives

It all started with a trip to Nairobi, where Kenton Lee saw children walking barefoot. This moment changed everything and led to the foundation of Because International, a non-profit that designed The Shoe That Grows, a durable, adjustable shoe that expands up to 5 sizes, made for underprivileged children. Made in Kenya, these shoes are made to protect children's feet and also create local jobs, a thoughtful solution tackling poverty and environmental waste at once. Their patented design uses sturdy materials, adjustable straps, and an expanding sole to last for years.

Aretto - India’s Tech-Led Footwear Innovation

Closer to home, Aretto is a Pune-based start-up founded by Satyajit Mittal and Krutika Lal in 2022, crafting  kids footwear for growing feet. Their shoes grow up to 3 sizes using recycled polyester and adaptive memory foam, and designed for healthy foot development. It is also focused on reducing frequent buying and environmental waste. Aretto claims to be the world’s first expandable shoe brand for kids, to help parents avoid frequent purchases and reduce shoe waste.

Pip & Henry - Sustainable Footwear With a Circular Mission

UK based Pip & Henry by Jeroo Doodhmal is a sustainable footwear brand for children. They are developing expandable shoes made from recycled materials and plant-based fibres with the goal of tackling the throwaway culture in kids footwear. Backed by a £250,000 sustainability grant from John Lewis’s Circular Future Fund, their expandable shoes are currently in prototype stages, working towards affordability and eco-friendly production. Pip & Henry also runs a shoe recycling program reusing good-quality pairs for charity and recycling the rest.

Why This Matters

Children’s shoes are a small everyday item with a big hidden impact. The global consumption of kids' shoes is estimated at around 200 million pairs annually and many worn for only a few months before being tossed away. Expandable shoes are a clever design fix and they’re a step closer towards conscious consumption, reduced waste, and thoughtful innovation that benefits both people and the planet. And as these early innovators show, sometimes the best ideas come from simply noticing a problem we’ve all accepted for too long.