Studio Manyuka: The Sneaker You Don’t Throw Away

Most sneakers are discarded when their soles wear out, even if the rest of the shoe is still usable. Estonian start-up Studio Manyuka is challenging this model with Edition 01, a full-leather sneaker designed with a replaceable sole to extend its lifespan and reduce waste.

The team joined ClimateLaunchpad, supported through the Climate Engine project, with confidence in its product but limited business experience. Through bootcamp training, mentoring and pitching exercises, the founders strengthened their business model, simplified their approach and identified a broader market for their innovation.

Placing third in the Estonian national final and progressing to the regional competition gave the team valuable recognition and confidence.

“As designers, we’d been unsure whether a sneaker brand would be taken seriously as a start-up,” says co-founder Mariann Hendrikson. “Placing third showed us that durability and repairability are a real climate story, and that we can pitch.”

Since the programme, Studio Manyuka has secured a start-up grant from Enterprise Estonia (EIS), begun product sampling and started building its online community.

By making sneakers repairable, the company aims to reduce footwear waste and the emissions associated with frequent replacement. Its next steps include finalising prototypes, launching an online store and entering the European market.

Studio Manyuka's journey highlights how Climate Engine-supported entrepreneurship programmes can help creative ideas evolve into viable, scalable climate businesses.

As Mariann explains, ClimateLaunchpad helped them present Studio Manyuka “as a potential scalable start-up instead of a small design studio.”