Nic&Mic: Upcycling waste while supporting employment
From marine waste to art, from Kenya to the Benelux countries
Ocean Sole is a Kenya-based company which collects plastic marine waste (plastic flip-flops) and transforms it into art. The Dutch company Nic&Mic has been Ocean Sole's partner through this adventure and helped grow the company substantially over the past few years. Together they are looking at a future of making colourful art but also company logos and more practical items. Nic&Mic, an abbreviation of Nicholas and Michael Ninaber of Eijben, started distributing Ocean Sole products in the Benelux countries in 2014. Michael discovered the beautiful Ocean Sole statues during an internship at the Dutch embassy in Kenya. He later found that not only are they beautiful, colourful statues, they also have an inspiring story.
- Ocean Sole upcycles the world's most widely worn shoe, the flip flop, into art
- In 2018, 80 artisans turned 750 thousand flip flops into masterful works of art from little keychains all the way up to life-size giraffes and lions
- Over 90 Kenyans are employed in this venture.