I can’t quite decide how I feel about Taiwanese designer Colin Lin’s ballerina flats in terms of aesthetic but am definitely feeling the design concept. Using recycled Chinese newspapers woven into a lattice pattern and dipped in plastic for durability, Colin creates these ballerina flats with the help of cottage industry artists in China. Each pair is handmade and unique. Having been in business for 26 years, Lin has sold more than 4,000 pairs of shoes to customers hailing from the United States and Europe. I had expected that quite a large number of raw material is needed for the shoes but apparently it only takes three and a half sheets of newspaper for a pair of these eco-friendly flats. In addition to the flats, Colin also creates eco-friendly tote bags. Both of the items go through a time consuming manufacturing process which explains its rather expensive price tags. A pair of paper shoes takes 3-4 hours to make and sells for US$100-150, while a tote bag takes as much as two to three days and retails up to US$260. Available at online retailer Moxsie.