STEPPING OUT SUSTAINABLY
Are your shoes sustainable? It's a question more consumers seem to be asking themselves as sustainability conversations continue to evolve in the fashion space.
In fact, there's a growing interest in knowing more about the environmental impact of products, including clothing and accessories, according to a recent study from the American consulting group BCG.
With an eye for more sustainable options, we've rounded up four footwear finds that offer sustainability, along with some seriously good style:
Sustainable style and footwear brand Allbirds is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its beloved Wool Runner with this limitededition fuzzy find that's designed to be a “tribute to the very sheep that make it all possible.” The Men's Wool Runner Fluffs features New Zealand Merino wool insideand-out, along with a sole made from SweetFoam, a Brazilian sugarcane EVA foam.
In further fresh footwear news, the company has partnered with Adidas on a new sneaker style dubbed the adidas x Allbirds Futurecraft, which boasts a carbon footprint of just 2.94 kilogram of CO2 per pair, and is set to be released as a prototype as part of a limited Creators Club drop this month, with a wider release planned for the fall. $135 | Allbirds.ca adidas x Allbirds
SWEET SLIDE
Slip into sustainability, while stepping out in style with these Ava Bloom slides from Vancouverbased brand Native Shoes. The mule silhouette is made from a material that sees “toxic algae” captured from waterways that's harvested and used to create the lightweight EVA material. In addition to adopting the Rise by Bloom technology with this Ava Bloom design, the company has also pledged to make an end-of-life plan for all of its shoes by 2023. To date, the Native Shoes Remix Project has seen more than 30,000 pairs of used shoes repurposed for use in playgrounds in Vancouver.
$65 | Nativeshoes.com
SLEEK AND CHIC
American brand Reformation has relaunched its shoe collection with a lineup of 15 styles that focus on three key elements: leather traceability, plastic reduction and product end-of-life. Offering a selection of dress shoes like these oh-so-on-trend Dana Block Heel Thong Sandals, the Ref Shoes are also 100 per cent recyclable through a partnership with Looptworks.
$278 | Thereformation.com
FLOWER POWER
The iconic Stan Smith sneaker silhouette has been given a green update. The shoe's upper is crafted from Primegreen, made using recycled materials and no virgin polyester. The footwear style represents one of the steps by Adidas toward accomplishing its goal of replacing all new polyester material with recycled options in its product lineup by 2024.
$120 | Adidas.ca