Munich based high end footwear brand nat-2™ and designer Talia Luvaton present a very special collaboration by launching handmade sneakers made from flower rusted leather.
The sneakers, designed by nat-2™ founder Sebastian Thies, are handmade upon request in Italy. The unique material called “Rusted Leather” is a material-based technique developed by Talia Luvaton and her studio as part of an ongoing exploration into the physical and chemical manipulations possible within vegetable-tanned leather. The process creates unique surface patterns through the natural reaction between wet leather and oxidized metal elements. As moisture activates the interaction, traces of rust are transferred onto the surface, producing organic marks and tonal variations that cannot be fully controlled or repeated.
The technique is combined with fresh, natural flowers, allowing botanical imprints to merge with oxidation marks. This layered interaction reinforces the material’s organic origin and examines a natural dyeing approach based on direct contact with living elements.
Emerging from material research, the process highlights time, chance, and transformation, allowing each piece to carry a singular and evolving character.
The other materials and parts like high end outsoles, removable insoles, lining and laces used are all local and responsibly sourced the nat-2™ workshop and fairly made in Italy.
Each unique sneaker embodies the vision of true sustainable innovation while providing real luxury materials and craftmanship. It also symbolizes the power of international collaboration, consciousness and creativity.
Retailers and galleries can order the sneakers and matching vases as well as keychains upon request. Prices for sneakers start at 350 € SRP.
ABOUT the RUSTED LEATHER
Rusted Leather is a material-based technique developed by the studio as part of an ongoing exploration into the physical and chemical manipulations possible within vegetable-tanned leather. The process creates unique surface patterns through the natural reaction between wet leather and oxidized metal elements. As moisture activates the interaction, traces of rust are transferred onto the surface, producing organic marks and tonal variations that cannot be fully controlled or repeated.
The technique is combined with fresh, natural flowers, allowing botanical imprints to merge with oxidation marks. This layered interaction reinforces the material’s organic origin and examines a natural dyeing approach based on direct contact with living elements.
Emerging from material research, the process highlights time, chance, and transformation — allowing each piece to carry a singular and evolving character.
ABOUT SEBASTIAN THIES – Founder of nat-2™
Sebastian Thies is a German footwear designer and entrepreneur and the founder of the progressive luxury sneaker brand nat-2™. As a sixth-generation member of
the Munich-based Thies shoemaking family, whose heritage dates back to 1856, he combines traditional craftsmanship with experimental material innovation.
With nat-2™, launched in 2007, Thies has become internationally recognized for pioneering unconventional materials in sneaker design — including stone, coffee, hay, cork, mushrooms and other bio-based or recycled resources. His work blends sustainability, material research and luxury aesthetics, positioning nat-2™ at the forefront of next-generation footwear design.
Thies’ designs have been exhibited internationally and included in collections such as the Red Dot Design Museum, Kunsthaus Vienna, MKG Hamburg and the GRASSI Museum Leipzig. His work has received numerous international distinctions, including the Red Dot Design Award, German Brand Award, Recycling Design Award, and the Design Prize of the City of Munich, among others.
Through nat-2™, Sebastian Thies continues to push the boundaries of contemporary design, redefining luxury footwear through innovation, sustainability and heritage craftsmanship.
nat-2™ PROJECT STORY
nat-2™ is a contemporary German footwear and acc. innovation brand based in Munich, focused on advanced sustainable materials and circular product design. Founded by designer and entrepreneur Sebastian Thies in 2007, the brand develops and applies unconventional bio-based and recycled materials—including coffee grounds, milk proteins, stone powder, hay fibers, oxblood and other agricultural or industrial waste streams—to create high-end, often vegan footwear.
The brand’s approach combines material research, low-impact manufacturing and durable product engineering, with most styles produced in Europe under strict environmental and labor standards. nat-2™ focuses on never used before materials, extending product lifespan, and enabling more circular material cycles through innovative composites and responsible sourcing.
By bridging industrial design, biotechnology and contemporary fashion, nat-2™ represents a new generation of footwear development where sustainability is driven by material innovation, transparency and long-term product performance.
ABOUT TALIA LUVATON
Talia Luvaton is a designer and leather craft artist .
She is a graduate of the Department of Industrial Design at the Holon Institute of Technology, where she completed her studies with honors in 2021. Coming from a third-generation family of jewelers, Talia’s practice is deeply rooted in traditional craftsmanship, material knowledge, and a respect for making by hand.
Her work is driven by a continuous process of exploration and re-examination — stretching boundaries between craft and design, tradition and innovation, raw material and refined form. She is particularly interested in the dialogue between opposing and parallel qualities within materials and techniques, allowing each to inform the other .
Talia focuses on craft research while maintaining a strong commitment to authenticity and traditional know-how, integrating contemporary tools, advanced techniques, and modern interpretation.
Her work is characterized by a high level of precision, attention to detail, and a refined aesthetic language .
LUVATON STUDIO’S STORY
LUVATON is a design studio specializing in handcrafted leather objects, founded on traditional know-how, quality materials, and local production.
The studio works exclusively with vegetable-tanned leather, processed using sustainable, plant-based methods, reflecting a conscious and responsible approach to material sourcing and making. All pieces are designed and handcrafted in the studio in Tel Aviv, using time-honored techniques alongside contemporary design thinking .
LUVATON’s work explores the intersection of craft, material, and form, resulting in sculptural yet functional objects defined by clarity, restraint, and material honesty. Each piece carries subtle variations that reflect the hand of the maker and the natural character of the leather.
The studio is committed to creating objects with longevity — both in material quality and in visual language — offering a quiet, enduring presence within interior spaces .
