Sneakers have come out of the gym and have become a staple of our everyday wardrobe. From classic and vintage to futuristic and trendy, a good pair – or 10 – of sneakers is something we’re all after.
To make your sneaker collection impactful on the fashion and environmental fronts, looking to vegan and sustainable brands might be a good bet.
Environmentally friendly, sustainable, vegan, conscious, impact-reducing… we’re not talking about a new diet but some of the best sneaker brands around.
You might be familiar with Veja, the uber-cool French brand based in Paris that’s been making environmentally friendly sneakers (complete with raw materials sourced from organic farming) and counts celebrities amongst its fans. You probably have heard of Matt + Nat, one of the brands at the forefront of the vegan and cruelty-free accessories’ space. You might have bought from the non-profit brand TOMS, which is known for making super comfy slip-ons, donating a pair of shoes every time you buy one, providing safe water to people in need and the recipient of PETA’s Compassionate Business Award.
Well-known vegan and sustainable brands like Native Shoes might be on your radar, but there are an array of cool and stylish sneaker brands around. To help you make a choice, check out some of the best sneaker brands below.
Rothy’s
Rothy’s is best known for its slip-ons made from recycled bottles and marine plastic. Often featured on Instagram, the brand also offers lace-up sneakers and is super-sleek. Some designs have a discount for essential workers like teachers, first responders and medical professionals.
Ella & Witt
Founded by Birgit and Torsten Lasar, who have over 20 years in the footwear industry, Ella & Witt makes ethical, vegan shoes. Using renewable materials (like corn leather), this is probably one of the most fashionable sustainable brand around. A shoe like the GOODALL is chunky, 90s-inspired and available in loads of different colour-combination.
BeFlamboyant
Unisex, vegan, and made from recycled and sustainable materials, BeFlamboyant sneakers are made in Portugal by fair trade employees. The brand plants a tree for every pair of shoes sold and is focused on designing timeless shoes that will ”be treasured for life.” They go so far as to tell you NOT to buy a new pair of sneakers if you don’t really need one.
Thousand Fell
Made from sustainably sourced materials like aloe vera, coconut husk, sugar cane, recycled bottles, and castor bean, Thousand Fell is vegan and sustainable. You can also send your sneakers back for the brand to recycle, making this a fully circular experience (plus, you’ll get cash back).
AVRE
AVRE was founded by two sisters who saw first-hand how the fashion industry was impacting the world. With a 39-year family history in the footwear industry, the brand creates cool kicks from recycled plastic bottles. With a mission to be women who support women, AVRE also donates 10% of its proceeds to Oceana and Girls in Tech.
Nothing New
“Proving that eco-friendly can also be attractive,” Nothing New offsets its carbon footprint, has a “Virtuous Circle Program” and uses recycled materials like plastic waste, fishing nets, cork or cotton sourced from Better Cotton Initiative. Each pair of sneakers saves more than 160 gallons of water compared to regular canvas shoes and uses the equivalent of 5.6 plastic water bottles.
Sarah Kante
