tevin keobouala garments & construction

birkenstock boston patchwork project

2023

Vintage souvenir patches sourced from a thrift store, hand-selected and machine-sewn onto a pair of suede Birkenstock Bostons, with the uppers separated from the footbed to make it happen.

type

Footwear Customization

base

Birkenstock Boston

technique

Machine Sewing

concept

Vintage souvenir patches picked from a thrift store in Sleepy Poet
Patches selected for color, shape, and the randomness of where they’d been
Composed across both uppers to balance the layout

process

Fabric glue failed: couldn’t hold on suede canvas
Hand sewing failed: leather was too tough, cut myself trying
Separated the uppers from the footbed entirely to access the full surface
Rented a workshop space and learned to machine sew on the spot

images