When ten-year fashion industry veteran Elisabeth Olsen created the olsenHaus vegan footwear line in 2008, she was adamant that her product “not look granola.” In her attempts to influence an industry unconcerned about animal rights, the designer was determined not to sacrifice style, but it’s taken a near-obsessive approach to her animal-free passion.
“I’ve said vegan more times in the last year than in my entire life,” laughed Olsen, creator of the high-end line. And it’s forced her to take her materials to “the next level of creativity.” Her footwear incorporates cork, ultrasuede (a non-woven microfiber), polyurethane, recycled tire and even bits of crushed television screens.
Clearly Olsen’s efforts are paying off, with featured coverage in such style-forward magazines as Vogue and Marie Claire, and on websites such as EcoStiletto.com.
“Because of the environmental impact of livestock production, we try to incorporate vegan aspects in our eco-fashion and beauty coverage,” said Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, founder and CEO of EcoStiletto. Although it’s not a vegan site, Sarnoff believes, “The vegan aspect is really important to the way sustainability is developing,” and is about to launch a giveaway championing the shoe olsenHaus makes from old TV sets.
From Crunchy to Cool
The industry has come a long way since Jackie Horrick and Henny Hendra launched Pasadena-based Alternative Outfitters in 2004. Shoe show vendors “used to think we were crazy,” said Horrick and Hendra, who have moved from vinyl into more breathable materials, such as moldable foam polyurethane. Now, several of those same vendors “actually have vegan lines.”
The success of fashionable and professional looking footwear in differentiating itself from that notoriously crunchy breakfast cereal of yesteryear is further reiterated by the success of Erica and Sara Kubersky’s vegan brand, Novacas (Spanish for “no cows”). Like olsenHaus, Novacas provides vegan footwear to consumers whose taste is driven more by catwalk than counterculture affiliation. In 2001, when the sisters opened New York City’s Lower East Side vegan footwear boutique MooShoes, they carried “only about 20-30 styles and maybe four different manufacturers,” Erica recalled. Over the nine years they’ve been in business, their selection has now expanded to 40 manufacturers and about 200 styles, including their own Novacas line. Concerned about “a fair share of customers who won’t buy anything made in China,” Novacas has taken all their manufacturing to Portugal, where strict EU regulations ensure the health and safety of assembly line workers.
Tarzana-based VeganChic.com, however, manufactures in China but chooses only small factories that guarantee workers’ rights or larger companies that are audited by the Fair Labor Association. “Instead of boycotting a whole country, we try to make a statement by supporting those companies that manufacture cruelty-free products under fair labor conditions,” states the company’s website. VeganChic uses more traditional materials, such as hemp, jute, bamboo, pleather, suedette, satin, microfiber and recycled tires.
As more vegan brands continue to crop up, there is an increasing emphasis on land stewardship. Neuaura, another luxury vegan footwear line, this one manufactured in Brazil, collaborates with onsite ecologists who work closely with local universities on researching and developing recycling technologies. Neuaura reports that 65 percent of the company’s non-recyclable waste is now going into an engineered layer between the ground and recyclable waste, thereby protecting the lush rainforest soil from seepage of potentially toxic chemicals.
Simple is committed to making their products 100 percent sustainable. Their footwear is made from such materials as recycled carpet padding, recycled paper, organic cotton, hemp, recycled inner tubes, jute and even coconut shells. And Terra Plana gets even more exotic by incorporating recycled Pakistani quilts.
Helping the Herd
Strong giveback initiatives are also a characteristic trait of many vegan shoe designers. For example, Hawaiian-based OluKai runs a non-profit grassroots land trust organization dedicated to stabilizing, protecting and restoring Hawaiian cultural resources. Each year, a number of OluKai employees travel to Maui to assist with archeological stabilization and reforestation efforts, and their popular Ohana line (now standard among Hawaiian lifeguards) helps to raise money for that.
Toms One-for-One program donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold; and Neuaura gives 10 percent of their profits to charity. In 2009 they donated to the Humane Society and Keep a Child Alive (founded by Alicia Keys to help African children infected with HIV/AIDS.)
So strong is consumer demand for more sustainable footwear that an increasing number of traditional brands are also embracing sustainable initiatives. Naya, an offshoot of the Brown company, uses vegetable tanned leathers, biodegradable latex foam cushioning, water soluble glue and ink, nickel free metal buckles and bamboo. Nike encourages consumers to recycle their worn out shoes, and sources old shoes for materials used in their new Pegasus line.
As comfort is the ultimate—and for some the only—true shoe test, WLT personally tested the wearability of several of the brands mentioned above.
Novacas
Although image consultants sometimes try to discourage petite women from wearing strappy sandals because they visually shorten the leg, the “Melanie” model sports woven diagonal khaki straps that create a graceful, elongating effect. Snug enough not to slip off your foot, yet not so tight it feels restrictive, the shoe has a lot going for it. This is a perfect shoe to wear if you’re driving door to door, but the cork heel makes walking long—and even relatively short—distances in this particular model uncomfortable. However, as there is as much variation in heels as there is in flats, the only real way to determine wearability is to try them on for yourself. Novacas offers an abundance of styles and heel variations, so you just have to find the one that’s right for you. Melanie has a canvas upper, a synthetic microfiber lining, and a cork sole. Other shoes in their line may look like leather but are made from polyurethane synthetic microfiber.
Neuaura
It’s still nippy in New York, and what a great excuse to try out the “Thames,” Neuaura’s vegan dress boot. Much to our surprise, boots made from polyurethane and ultrasuede actually seem to allow your feet to breathe! Neuaura’s creator, Arti Upadhyay, explained that the boot is designed using a canvas-based fabric coated in a plastic-based polyurethane. The fabric base gives the overall material its flexibility and durability.
More good news: Just like leather, these boots gradually break in and become increasingly more comfortable; undoubtedly the padded mesh lining helps. The boots also boast padded insoles for heel and arch support and flexible rubber soles for additional comfort.
Back in L.A. you’d probably rather wear Plum Brick from Neuaura’s spring/summer collection. In “neutral red” with a comfortable black patent heel, this could be your sandal of choice for spring.
Naya
Naya, a sister company to Naturalizer, takes its name from the Hindi for “renewal.” The “Timpas” model we sampled is crafted from recycled cork, rubber and sustainable bamboo. This line is not for purists, as the biodegradable latex foam cushioning it topped with leather (albeit vegetable-tanned or at least chrome-free), but we’re glad to see a mainstream company venturing into sustainable footwear. Director of product Kasey Gibbs has pledged to apply its best practices success in vegan footwear to its other brand, and that’s what we call a step in the right direction.
Toms
Toms are the ultimately comfortable slipper shoe that takes up where ballet flats left off. They sport fabric tops in fun colors and patterns over a thin rubber sole, and while their lack of arch support makes them a less-than-ideal choice for long distance walking or an afternoon at the museum, there’s nothing we’d rather wear for a kicked-back day. A big plus for Tom’s is their minimal weight. They’ll keep you light on your feet, and if you’re trying to avoid annoying airline baggage fees, don’t take up much more room in your suitcase than a pair of socks.
OluKai
With arch support, breathable sole and a non-irritating toe thong, these colorful flip flops created for Hawaiian lifeguards passed the comfort test in flying pastels. We walked several miles in “Ohana,” and given the fact that flip flops are already the lingua franca of Los Angeles, we can’t recommend them highly enough.
Simple
Our tester not only liked the support the “CARport” gave to his feet; he also found himself developing an affinity for plaid. Hey, straight guys don’t talk a lot about shoes, so that’s all he gave us. Lesson learned!
Shop Your Neighborhood
Lucky you, you live in Los Angeles and have a choice of several stores where you can try on various styles.
2717 Main St.
Santa Monica 90405
310.581.1369
408 S Pasadena Ave
Pasadena 91105
866.758.5837
8821 Beverly Boulevard
West Hollywood 90048
310.273.7051
32 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena 91105
626.795.2045
1 Comment
As more and more people use the phrase “vegan line” I should point out a 1998 vegan shoe store in London is called “Veganline”.
The difference?
We’ve just launched a court shoe made in the UK using 2mm lorica microfibre and a good quality rubber sole. All workers get free healthcare, minimum wage and benefits as part of living in the UK. We charge £35 (about $50).
Others launch shoes made in China that they sell for hundreds of dollars.
No wonder people keep trying to sound like us!