Nendo’s Self-Assembling Toilet for Natural Disasters

Nendo’s Minimilet project began after Japan’s Tōhoku and Kumamoto earthquakes—specifically the devastation and difficulties in the wake of each. Entirely collapsable, the disposable toilet can be assembled using found materials and then dismantled when needed. Made from several components: four aluminum pipes, C-shaped seat, privacy tent, garbage bags and a coagulant liquid, the toilet’s bag can also double as a water carrier. When governments aren’t …

Balenciaga’s Speed Trainers Push Footwear Forward

Sock sneakers are appearing in every fashion city and beyond, Marc Bain notes for Quartz. Luxury brands have adopted this relatively recent (perhaps comfort-driven) style from sportswear, though the sock-like components are certainly emphasized now more than ever. As Bain makes clear, no brand embodies this more than Balenciaga, with their $595 to $695 Speed Trainers. The brand, known for taking on unusual inspiration (Crocs, …

Chris Sheldrick’s System for Giving Every Location an Exact Address

Billions of people live without an address—something that can hinder everything from emergency assistance to pizza delivery. From his time in the music industry overseeing the delivery of music equipment for performers, Chris Sheldrick was able to develop a system that offers every single location on earth a precise, three-word address. It’s done by dividing “the entire planet into [roughly 57 trillion] three-meter squares” and …