June 7th, 2009
Loeffler Randall Simone; Eloise, $501 (sale); and Mabel, $419 (sale).
While Loeffler Randall isn’t a brand that necessarily touts its social responsibility, I add it to the list for the same reason that it’s made the ranks of a handful of eco boutiques: These shoes are brilliantly designed and crafted. The overall classic aesthetic, made of the most exquisite materials you’ve ever felt, combine for a series of shoes that will last you for years… as will the compliments, no doubt. The line is designed by a husband-and-wife team and made in Spain.
June 6th, 2009
Yep, it’s the weekend, so “Shoe Week” just became a portmanteau. (Why didn’t I think of this earlier?!)
Terra Plana Dida, $195, and Herb, $140.
Terra Plana has a wonderful history of crafting some of the most holistically conscientious shoes around. (Some, in fact, so based in theory that style is left entirely by the wayside…) I’m a happy owner of the Grass, the predecessor of the Herb, and am a huge fan of its lightweightedness, breathability, durability and flattering style. My only complaint about the shoe is that it doesn’t wear well with jeans, as it slips off the heel with every step — which this removable ankle strap remedies beautifully. This colorway of the Dida, Multi Quilt, is made from recycled Pakistani quilts, so each is completely unique (and completely awesome). All Terra Plana shoes are made according to the high standards of the brand’s Eco Matrix.
June 5th, 2009
Coclico Nuance, $320.
Yes, Coclico again! I must admit, I usually shy away from suede for its less hardy nature, but the suede on this shoe makes it feel aMAzing on the foot. (And it’s a blue suede shoe!) Since the first time I wrote about this brand, it has added a Sustainability page to its website, detailing its conscientiousness toward the materials it uses: leather, wood, cork, hardware and “internals.” I’m more impressed than ever. It epitomizes my favorite model for a socially responsible brand: “We hope to encourage higher and higher standards of quality, innovation and sustainability in our industry.”
Maybe it’s the shoes, maybe it’s because it’s Friday — but I had to play virtual dress-up with this one. Paired with a coral-colored vintage dress (I snagged this one a few years ago) and the Ashley Watson Recycled Leather Junco… WATCH OUT.
June 4th, 2009
Melissa Joy + Alexandre Herchcovitch, $85.
As if in reference to the jellies we wore when we were 10, all Melissa shoes are made of plastic. With a few key differences… theirs is recycled! And recyclable. And vegan and non-toxic, all manufactured in an eco-friendly facility in Brazil. This brand can be controversial for eco sticklers (after all, 3 percent of the petroleum supply is used to make plastics), so if you get a pair, just be sure to recycle it!
June 3rd, 2009
Manimal Ribcage Flat and Double Fringe Bootie, $180-$200.
I was introduced to this brand through the most excellent earrings I’ve ever owned, and its hallmark moccasin designs are no disappointment whatsoever. I love the double-fringe high top and am excited about the new two-tone option (bottom right in the image). Each piece is handmade by a team of “no more than three craftspeople,” and reuse of scraps is a part of their design process (per the earrings and necklaces). The site’s old About page was one of my favorites ever — of its former Massachusetts location, it read, “All pieces are hand-made in a small third floor apartment
where the eaves fall into the walls.”
Also available at Beklina.
June 2nd, 2009
Olsen Haus Charm, $225.
All Olsen Haus shoes are vegan. “The livestock/leather industry is the largest contributor to global warming, land devastation, environmental pollution, usage of valuable natural resources and water supply contamination. … From start to finish, the amount of energy required to create a leather hide is 20 times greater than the production of a synthetic material.” I haven’t traditionally been opposed to leather, but this really makes you think, eh? Factories are vetted personally by the company and production is as local as possible in Central America.
June 1st, 2009
Several weeks ago, I started a conversation about shoes that are both socially responsible and stylish. Amber commented, “there aren’t a lot of eco-friendly cute shoes,” and Grechen was inspired to make an awesome list of Eco-Friendly Shoes Around $50 (That Aren’t Ugly). (Marais, Melissa and TOMS are all on the list, so be sure to check it out.) I figured it was time I threw some sweet options into the mix, so get ready — for a week of SHOES!
Corso Como Key, $133.
As I’ve written before, Corso Como shoes are ethically made by hand in Brazil of vegetable dyed leathers, with a portion of each sale going to women’s and children’s charities. I’ve never worn a pair, but doesn’t that sole look immensely comfortable?
Other Corso Como styles available at Zappos, Piperlime, Shoes.com (including men’s!), Endless and more.
Note: My list won’t quite be so budget-friendly as Grechen’s, but for my dollar-vote, I say they are well worth it!
May 27th, 2009
Frei Pillow Top Tunic, $255 (formerly $364!), at Pivot Boutique.
Through May 31, all Chicago designers at Pivot Boutique in Chicago are 30% off. Deals on Lara Miller, Elise Bergman, Sunia and Frei Designs are available online, and more in store. All are made right in Chicago! Good stuff.
Via Green Grechen.
May 21st, 2009
First posted at the PopTech blog.
It’s such a simple idea. And that’s the beauty of it. The 3/50 Project is a grassroots campaign to save independent businesses — “the brick-and-mortars our nation is built on.” It suggests that we choose our three favorite locally owned businesses, and at those three shops combined, commit to spending $50 a month.
If half of the U.S. population did this, we would generate more than $42 trillion in revenue. (That’s how many of us read this blog, right?) And, “For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here.”
About 3,000 independent businesses have officially signed up on the site as project participants, and no doubt many more are spreading the word, with downloadable flyers, banners and website badges available to anyone.
Not only is this idea a cause anyone can get behind, its execution is inspiring. Take an old idea, package it beautifully, translate it into actionable terms, and give it a name. (Of course, compelling stats don’t hurt… and Facebook is a must.)
I’m holding out for my own big-idea-made-simple. (In time!) What will yours be?
May 15th, 2009
Here’s a shoe I wanted to be excited about: zoe & zac, the green line Payless Shoes released last month. But no, these shoes weren’t designed for me. My first impression was that they were designed for mainstream appeal, and I could get behind that, but wait — even collectively, we have better taste than this, right?
Commerce with a Conscience wrote a smart and hilarious review of Simple’s similarly poorly designed “green shoes,” which can be directly applied to this line. I’ll cut straight to the serious part, where he wrote,
“One of the greatest obstacles facing the widespread acceptance of socially responsible spending is convincing others that buying according to their ethics doesn’t automatically mean dressing terribly. I ask you, please, help us overcome this hurdle. Use your principles for good.”
Amen.
Each pair of shoes in the zoe & zac line are under $30. If you must, at least go for the wedge!
May 12th, 2009
CITIZEN JOURNALISM, OPEN GOVERNMENT, STATUS UPDATES, COMMUNITY BUILDING, INFORMATION SHARING, CROWDSOURCING AND THE ELECTION OF A PRESIDENT
In March at SxSW, I got to have a martini with Rob Reed, the person behind the persona of Max Gladwell. In following his work since then — particularly writings on the Max Gladwell blog about the intersection of social media and green living — I’ve become a huge fan of his huge thinking. Take the article below. Written by MG/RR, it is the first collective, open-source guest blog post, and it has just been published simultaneously on about 100 relevant blogs, inspiring 100 simultaneous conversations from various points of view. Please join in!
Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They’ll take for granted that their voices can be heard and that a social movement can be launched from their laptop. They’ll take for granted that they are connected and interconnected with hundreds of millions of people at any given moment. And they’ll take for granted that a black man is or was President of the United States.
What’s most profound is that these represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized institutions and organizations to the People they represent. It is the evolution of democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it.
For most of us, social media has changed our lives in some meaningful way. Collectively it is changing the world for good. Given the pace of innovation and adoption, change has become a constant. Every so often we find the need to stop and reflect on its most recent and noteworthy developments, hence the following list.
Please note this is not a top-10 list, nor are these listed in any particular order. It’s also incomplete. So we ask that you add to this conversation in the comments. If you’d like to Retweet this post or take the conversation to Twitter or FriendFeed, please use the hashtag #10Ways. Keep reading →
May 11th, 2009
Remember Suno? Here’s another GORGEOUS little line bringing industry to Africa.
“The Bantu concept is one which recognizes that we as consumers have the ability to make a difference in Africa. However, Bantu does not ask you to buy an ugly t-shirt in which a fraction of the proceeds go to one cause or another. Bantu … gives (Africans) an opportunity to work hard and provide the world with something really, really hot.”
“Our mission at Bantu is to introduce and make accessible beach and resort wear, accessories and skincare products with an African influence to more of the world.”
…
“Bantu maintains a high degree of social responsibility, while satisfying customer needs. All production is done in-house, guaranteeing the ethical treatment of our employees.”
One- and two-pieces for women, and men’s, too!
Select women’s pieces available at Oak. One-piece for $118 and top and bottom each for $74.
Via DailyCandy.
