Photo by Vincent Desailly courtesy of Veja
Good news conscious shoe lovers: you don't have to compromise on style to find shoes that are good for people and the planet. We've compiled a list of our favourite ethical shoe brands from casual slip ons to long lasting capsule pieces that will compliment your wardrobe as well as your conscience.
BB SHOEMAKER, Australia
Shoes from $299 NZD
BB Shoemaker is Beccy Bromilow, a South Australian based artisan who hand crafts shoes to order in her small Adelaide studio. A true champion of slow fashion, Beccy’s shoes are constructed by hand using locally sourced vegetable-tanned kangaroo leather, quality bovine leathers, cork and Eco crepe rubber. Chic, timeless and made to last.
BB Shoemaker ships within Australia for $15 AUD and to NZ for $32 NZD
BB Shoemaker, Australia www.bbshoemaker.com
ETHLETIC, Germany
Shoes from $102 NZD
Ethical footwear's answer to Converse, Ethletic use only certified fair trade and organic cotton and natural rubber from sustainable plantations – no pesticides or toxic chemicals. This protects both the environment and the health of the people who wear and produce their sneakers. They see to this with fair pay, good working conditions, and voluntary premiums for social projects.
Ethletic do not currently ship direct to countries outside of Europe. New Zealanders can ship using Youshop for around $60 NZD.
Ethletic, Germany www.shop.ethletic.com/en
EVERLANE, usa
Shoes from $140 NZD
Everlane are more interested in long lasting styles than fashion trends. Everlane sell only direct to customers online, cutting out the high overhead costs of operating physical shops and markups applied by traditional distributors like department stores and boutiques, and pass these savings on to the consumer. Committed to their mantra of "Radical Transparency", Everlane publicise their supply chain, including videos and photos from factories, and a full breakdown in costs of each garment. They also work with their factory partners to improve working conditions for employers.
Everlane does not currently ship internationally. From NZ YouShop would set you back around $35 NZD
Everland, USA www.everlane.com
INDOSOLE, indonesia
Shoes from $50 NZD
Another innovative company embracing waste, Indonesian brand Indosole repurpose casual sneakers, sandals and jandals from discarded rubber tyres. Due to their structure, tyres take thousands of years to decompose. Indosole are on a quest to save 1 million tyres from landfills and give them new life as soles for durable, practical footwear. Indosole are only tackling waste, by removing discarded tyres from the environment they are helping to reduce tropical disease (in tropical countries tyres can become breeding grounds for mosquitos, which lead to nasty diseases like malaria and dengue fever). Win, win!
Indosole ships to NZ or Australia for $29 NZD
Indosole, Indonesia www.indosole.com
MARAIS, USA
Shoes from $239 NZD
Marais describe their inspiration as “Patti Smith meets Jane Birkin… the confidence and practicality of the New Yorker and effortless sophistication of the Parisienne.” Their collections encompass a complete shoe wardrobe of paired down essentials, made to last season after season. Their super chic yet affordable shoes have a minimalist appeal for any capsule wardrobe. Marais have an interesting transformation story. Seeing that the world of fast fashion was broken, they decided to embrace slow fashion, adopting a more sustainable and fair approach and moved production from China to a factory in LA, producing fewer but higher quality items made to endure the test of time.
Marais ship to NZ and Australia for a flat rate of $57 NZD.
Marais, USA www.maraisusa.com
MINNIE COOPER, new zealand
Shoes from $149 NZD
Minnie Cooper are self described as "simple, beautiful and indescribably comfortable." They have been designing and making shoes in New Zealand since 1989 and plan to keep production in New Zealand despite there being cheaper options for offshore manufacturing. Their shoes are timeless and made to last making them a great investment for your capsule wardrobe
Minnie Cooper offer free shipping to NZ and Australia.
Minnie Cooper, New Zealand www.minniecooper.co.nz
NISOLO, usa
Shoes from $97 NZD
Nashville based Nisolo specialise in handmade leather shoes, boots and sandals that are chic, timeless and affordable, while improving the lives of their producer partners. Nisolo pay their shoemakers above fair trade wages and ensure safe working conditions. They seek to provide consistent employment, an average income increase of 300% per producer, improved living conditions, access to education and savings, and above all, dignity and empowerment.
Nisolo does not currently ship internationally. From NZ YouShop would set you back around $27 NZD.
Nisolo, USA www.nisolo.com
THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT, USA
Shoes from $84 NZD
The People’s Movement creates “eco-hip” sneakers that stand for reduction of single-use plastic. They pair eco-conscious materials with up-cycled plastic bags cleaned up from Bali, creating products that help protect our planet. They also also support organisations like 5 Gyres who have systematically reduced plastics through oceanic research, collaboration and action.
The People's Movement ships to NZ and Australia for $36 NZD.
The People's Movement, USA www.thepeoplesmovement.com
Study NYC, USA
Shoes from $277 NZD
Clothing label Study's motto is “Making Fashion without Making Waste." They are yet another brand proving that style doesn't need to be compromised on the path to social and environmental responsibility. To maintain socially and environmentally responsible designs, they use a variety of fabrics including hemp, organic cotton, ethically sourced alpaca, and other recycled materials as well as natural dyes. Included in their range of minimalist, chic designs, are their "Carcel Creepers", made by female prisoners in Mexico who are paid living wage and compensation for their work. How cool is that!
Study NYC ship direct to NZ and Australia for $43 NZD.
Study, USA www.study-ny.com
THE ROOT COLLECTIVE, usa
Shoes from $56 NZD
The Root Collective believe in kindness, and creating change through cute shoes. They partner with artisans in Guatemala to produce cute and colourful handcrafted shoes with a bohemian feel. Consumer purchases of these cute slip-ons changes lives by creating jobs, mainly for women, in rural and urban slum communities.
The Root Collective ships direct to to NZ and Australia for around $23 USD.
The Root Collective, USA www.therootcollective.com
SSEKO, usa
Shoes from $70 NZD
For leather sandals, loafers and oxfords with a feminine feel, check out Portland brand Sseko. Sseko believe in the power of fashion to provide employment and educational opportunities to women, helping them to achieve their dreams and overcoming poverty. To date, they have enabled 71 women to continue on to university through their scholarship initiative. They provide employment, along with access to a comprehensive social impact programme, to a team of 50 women in Uganda through a financially self-sustaining model.
Sseko ships to NZ and Australia for around $30-$40 NZD.
Sseko, USA www.ssekodesigns.com
VEJA, france
Shoes from $46 NZD
Although you'd never catch them bragging about it, Veja have been described as the worlds most ethical shoe brand. They work with a collective of rubber tappers in the Amazon Rain Forest for the sustainably harvested wild rubber latex used in their soles. Pesticide-, GMO- and fertilizer-free fair trade organic cotton is harvested from the north-eastern state of Ceará before being bought at a fair price from a collective in north-east Brazil – which is then spun into canvas for the sneakers. The super stylish shoes are then assembled near Porto Alegre in factories where working conditions and wages are above-fair wages.
Veja offers free international shipping for orders over $234 NZD, otherwise it costs $39 NZD to NZ or Australia.
Veja, France www.veja-store.com/en