Green Options

I must admit, I spend most of my time drooling over clothing, pondering the possibilities of how to achieve the perfect eco-style. Recently, I came across Olsenhaus and my mind has wandered from high-waisted skirts and rock-star dresses to shoes. Not just shoes, mind you, but vegan, sexy, eye-bulging, stomach-fluttering shoes that gave me a kick in my- you know where- pushing me into an unknown territory. A world of shoe obsession.

Let’s not lie to ourselves, you can obviously see the photo above and understand why my heart is swooning.

It seems once school starts we go on a spending rampage.  Backpacks, clothes, lunchboxes and supplies can drain the wallet pretty fast and any little bit you can save helps.

What a perfect time for a shoe sale.  Simple Shoes is currently offering many of their popular styles at special clearance prices – and we are talking dirt cheap here!  Boys Innertube shoes and the adorable GT Janie for girls are each marked at $8.99 and Skippies are just $7.90.  And while you are at it, grab a pair for yourself and baby. 

The contest winner of Chic Eco’s 2009 footwear designer poll is Cliff Drill for Splaff Inc. Perfected simplicity is where he’s at with only three style offerings for men and women. Read the previous entrepreneurial story and company history here on FGS.

Cliff has lots of supporting fans who took the time to write sincere favorable comments with their votes. A few of many testimonials follow.

Funny what turns me on and this one hits the spot! It’s a biodegradable shower cap that can be used again, composted, or thrown straight to the trash. Guilt free is the key emotion here.

I was hit with a nostalgic trip down memory lane when I opened up this pack of Nowali Moccasins. I had a couple pairs of these when I was a kid. I don’t know if they were actually Nowali’s or cheap imitations but I had these fun, warm and wonderful slipper sock moccasins as a kid. Now I am thrilled to have an adult size pair to warm my feet on cold nights (and days).

The three design concepts from Terra Plana are 21st Century Artisan, Recycled and Barefoot. In summary, the collections exude an understanding of classic shoe making, but with a passion for modern techniques and materials.

The company makes many different types of shoes, but the Terra Plana collection is the most traditional “green” and design students are paying close attention. Features to expect:

Birki Schuh GmbH was founded in 1993 by Stephan Birkenstock. His General Manager title remains for the Birki’s brand today. His famous cork-latex footbed feature was highlighted from the beginning. So were his anatomically molded footbeds.

The German Birki’s brand offers a large vegan all-age shoe collection that ranges from cork sandals to water-friendly clogs, and lots in between. Those special footbeds are made of cork, ALPRO®-cell or ALPRO®-foam, which are terrific shock absorbing materials.

It was 1997 when Splaff Flopps joined the green wave, — and in more ways than one! El Presidente Cliff Drill and El Ambassador Craig Wallace got creative in a garage. Their materials and tools were a tire, a bike tube, and a shoe knife. Indeed they had a vision. The goal was to make durable, comfortable and reasonably-priced sandals from recycled materials.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu founded the soleRebels brand in 2004 with her husband and brother to help create jobs in Zenabwork, Ethiopia. At the time there were hardly any jobs in the community. But when the family decided to redesign traditional Ethiopian shoes made from recycled tires, expansion mode kicked in and employees were hired.

Last year we shared our admiration for Brazilian shoe maker Melissa and the evolution of their footwear designs and this year their recycled plastic shoes never looked so good!

“The environmentally sensitive sandal is ethically made in Brazil in a closed loop system so there is no waste. The Gladiator is made from recycled MEFLEX plastic and provides amazing comfort for your battle weary feet.”

Little more than a year ago, Wicked Footwear in New Hampshire created a new adult collection of shoes and boots fittingly named Wicked Hemp. Co-owner Matt Mahmet described the venture as his “future-past vision” derived from his eight years in the footwear industry, and his personal interest in an outdoor lifestyle. Matt combined his work and passion with the hemp revolution, which was not so popular during his American history studies in college.

Matt converted a small farm of mountains, trails and streams into the Wicked Footwear headquarters where new designs are developed and tested. The Wicked Hemp division turned global August 2008. And a new wood pulp and hemp collection was created with projected deliveries soon, ‒ mid 2009.