the founder

To build and fix was Sven’s passion as a child, as he grew up in the shadow of a carpenter grandfather and a mechanic father. His infatuation with all things 3-D propelled him into architecture studies first, followed by a brief exchange of professions in his twenties, namely stage designer and special effects photographer.

Becoming a shoe designer was part of his goal to create something really useful, as shoes were the most practical things he could think of. He then became a shoemaker’s apprentice for a few months to grasp the basics, before heading to London to study shoe design at Cordwainers College.

Once graduated in 1995, Sven has become a freelance shoe designer and pretty quickly found himself involved in wide variety of creative projects, exploring an array of shoe constructions; from dangerous stilettos to steel-cup safety boots, through super synthetic trainers and bizarre cyberpunk platforms.

During the course of visiting shoe factories world wide, Sven found himself objecting to certain working conditions and the use of toxic glues and tanning substances, which drove him to start his own ethical and eco-friendly shoe brand.

In 2003, Sven conceived Po-Zu with the purpose of developing the ultimate ecological shoe, which he concluded must be biodegradable yet durable. Finding the right materials was a detective’s job, unaided by the ‘green directories’ available today. The breakthrough came once Sven discovered the versatile world of coconut husk, which he loved experimenting with, until it eventually become the brand’s key component in new forms and functions.

You can read the latest interview with Sven here:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/sven-segal-pozu-footwear.html