For most dancers with the Royal Ballet and Opera, a pair of pointe shoes lasts just a fraction of the dancer's career — one rehearsal, one performance, and then they're too damaged to safely use again, per the BBC. But thanks to Devon-based sustainable artist Rachel O'Connell, those worn-out slippers are now finding an entirely new purpose.
O'Connell, a leather worker and one of only about 20 professional marbling artists in the UK, has partnered with the Royal Ballet through the social enterprise Blue Patch, which connects businesses looking to reduce waste with artists who can repurpose materials. Her mission: transforming discarded pointe shoes into marbled jewelry and accessories that celebrate heritage craft while keeping high-quality materials out of the landfill.
Every year, the Royal Ballet and Opera cycle through roughly 6,000 pairs of pointe shoes, most made from premium leather. "A pair of ballet shoes will often only last a day," environmental manager Rachael O'Sullivan told the BBC, explaining that the demanding choreography quickly breaks down their structure. "They won't provide the support they need, so that's why we go through so many. We are obviously very keen to find ways to recycle them or give them another life if we can."
O'Connell's solution is both artistic and practical. She begins by stripping each shoe down to its leather components, cleaning and preparing the material before dipping it into a marbled ink bath — a centuries-old European technique that creates flowing, one-of-a-kind patterns. Once dried, the leather is cut and shaped into earrings, bracelets, keychains, cuff links, and other accessories. Some of the profits go to the anti-poverty charity Trussell Trust, extending the positive impact even further.
The environmental benefits are substantial: instead of adding to textile waste — a major contributor to global pollution — these shoes are turned into durable, wearable art pieces. For consumers, that means access to handmade, thoughtfully produced goods with a story behind them. The work also helps preserve an endangered craft: marbling is listed on the UK Heritage Crafts Red List, and O'Connell notes that many of the remaining practitioners are nearing retirement.
"It's a real privilege because [the shoes] are made by another heritage craft maker and I feel it's saving it from landfill," O'Connell said, per BBC. "I can repurpose something that's danced across the stage and I'm turning it into something that's usable and practical, but also beautiful."
Looking ahead, she hopes to expand her practice — and even collaborate with a famous prima ballerina. "It would be really nice to marble a whole shoe," she said. "I've got to work out how to do that on synthetic material."
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