Ryan Ringholz: Red Dot Award for Product Design 2014
PLAE Inc. Founder & Chief Designer, Ryan Ringholz (BFA ‘97), convinced the 40-member expert panel for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 with the high design quality of its ‘roan’ style shoes. In the current competition, the international experts discussed and evaluated 4,815 entries from 53 countries but only designs which won over the jury with quality and innovative strength won an award.
With a kid-centered approach to design, PLAE shoes uniquely address the biometric needs of children while empowering creative expression. The key feature, an interchangeable closure system, allows for a custom fit (inclusive of those who wear ankle-foot-orthotics) with multiple length straps that also offer kids the chance to mix-it-up and make it their own with different color, material and print options. To ensure a world worth playing in, PLAE shoes are made with ISO 14001 certified leather, recycled PET lining, water-based glue, and anti-microbial ECO-Ortholite insoles made from castor beans.
http://www.goplae.com/red-dot