Chinese designer Wang Zhijun wears a face mask he made from sneakers and holds other masks in Beijing, on Dec 21, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Turning a pair of limited edition Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2s, the sneakers that were reportedly priced at $10,000 on eBay at one point, into smog masks does not sound cost-effective. But that is what Beijing designer Wang Zhijun did, according to a report by business news website yicai.com.

Wang has made around 20 unique smog masks out of brand name sneakers, such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Puma, since he had the idea in 2014 when the avid runner found the smog problem was too intolerable after finishing a half marathon.

He said the mask, more like an art project, is his mini-protest against the environmental pollution rather than a tool to make money. And he wants it to raise awareness about environmental protection.

The mask's capability of blocking pollution has not been tested by professional institutes yet, but Wang believes it works. He used to add the 3M filter he bought from local convenience store into every mask, and now he uses English brand Respro's filter with valves.

Wang said it takes around five days to make a sneaker mask. And one of his masks was bid at more than $5,000 on eBay China in October.

Wang said he does not need to buy sneakers to make masks anymore as many brands like to offer him their new footwear for free.