Throughout Asia, it's common to take off your shoes and put on slippers provided by the host when you enter a private dwelling. That conceivably means they have as many slippers lying around their home as they have guests, leading to sprawling, cluttered slipper racks in otherwise orderly Japanese homes.
It was only a matter of time before Nendo turned its collective design mind to the problem, developing a stackable, cone-shaped slipper, designed to tame overflowing Japanese slipper racks across the country.
The shape is undeniably a bit odd. Looking like something straight off a garden gnome's head, they resemble a triangle from the side, from which these slippers get their name: Triangle Roomshoes. The shape allows the slippers to not just be as stackable as a sleeve of ice cream cones, but also form a natural crease on the in-step portion to be one-size-fits-all.
Nendo's triangle slippers are available in both polyester and synthetic leather. The materials were chosen not just for comfort, and to keep the cost of the slippers down, but also to prevent people from sliding across super-polished Japanese floors.
Available in four colors, you can purchase Nendo's Triangle Roomshoes here, starting at around $35 a pair. Sadly, though, they're a Japan-only offering. (At least for now.)