Advertisement

E-paper sneakers change your style on the fly

ShiftWear's e-paper shoes can change designs on a whim.

If you're the sort to buy multiple pairs of sneakers just to make sure your footwear is always fashionable, you might soon have a way to save a lot of money. David Coelho is crowdfunding ShiftWear, or sneakers that have color e-paper displays in their sides. You only need a mobile app to change your look at a moment's notice (there are promises of a shoe design store), and you can even use animations if you're feeling ostentatious. The shoes are machine-washable, and the e-paper consumes virtually no power if you're using static imagery -- there's even talk of walk-to-charge tech that would save you from ever having to plug in or swap batteries.

Coelho is definitely ambitious: while ShiftWear has a $25,000 baseline goal, it'll take $250,000 or more to comfortably make these wearables a reality. However, it won't cost you too much to help out and get some shoes in return. Pledging $150 will set aside a pair of ShiftWear L1s (the low-cut model), and it only costs more if you're looking for some higher-cut options. There's no guarantee that the team will pull this off, but the prospect of ever-changing kicks may be hard to resist.