Hemp Shoes

A workshop for the production of hemp shoes in Zhitomir was opened three years ago. The owners say that the business went well, so they started registering a trademark. The shoes will be called Hems.

- It is environmentally friendly, breathable. Hemp has antiseptic properties. That is why customers buy our models almost immediately, - says the author of the production idea Oleg Zemnukhov, 31 years old.

Shoes, sandals and sneakers are made from hemp. Winter models have recently begun to be made.

- We paint only with natural dyes. To do this, we boil the canvas in a decoction of oak and nettle, - explains Zemnukhov.

Hemp for production is ordered from Poltava and Sumy regions. To obtain the finished fabric, the grass is first soaked and dried. Then the fiber is separated from the stem, combed, and woven on looms. This process takes at least two months.

Hemp shoes are sold at Zhitomir markets. You can also buy it at Andriyivskyy Descent in Kyiv. Shoes cost from $50, and sandals - from $40.

The Institute of Bast Crops in the city of Glukhov, in the Sumy region, says that hemp crops are decreasing every year.

- 30 years ago, there were 60 thousand hectares under this crop in Ukraine. Last year, only 2900 hectares, - sighs the head of the institute's marketing department, Igor Marinchenko, 35. - Hemp is prohibited from being grown because of the fight against drugs. Artificial and cheaper materials are brought in from abroad. The crop is simply disappearing.