Shoe having individual particles bonded to its bottom surface
Provided is a shoe that includes: a bottom surface that is adjacent to the ground in normal use; a sole that forms at least a portion of the bottom surface; an upper portion extending above the sole; and individual particles bonded to the bottom surface of the shoe. The individual particles include at least one of corn husk, hemp or a natural plant material that has been ground into the individual particles.
1. A shoe comprising:
(a) a bottom surface that is adjacent to the ground in normal use;
(b) a sole that forms at least a portion of the bottom surface;
(c) an upper portion extending above the sole; and
(d) a plurality of individual particles bonded to the bottom surface of the shoe,
wherein the individual particles comprise corn husk.
2. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the corn husk has been ground into the individual particles.
3. A shoe according to claim 2 , wherein the corn husk has been dried and ground into the individual particles.
4. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein at least 1,000 of the individual particles are bonded to the bottom surface of the shoe.
5. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the individual particles are bonded to the bottom surface of the shoe using a separate adhesive material.
6. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the individual particles have been bonded to the bottom surface of the shoe by embedding the individual particles directly into said bottom surface.
7. A shoe according to claim 6 , wherein said embedding is performed by using at least one of heat and pressure.
8. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the individual particles have been bonded directly onto the bottom surface of the shoe.
9. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the individual particles are attached to a substrate and the substrate has been bonded onto the bottom surface of the shoe.
10. A shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the individual particles cover at least 50% of the portion of the bottom surface that normally comes into contact with the ground.