Ecouterre » Eco-Friendly Shoes

TOMS Shoes Springs Into 2010 With Nautically Inspired Vegan Styles

Jasmin Malik Chua — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:00:14 +0000

Ahoy and avast! TOMS Shoes is shivering our timbers with its nautically notioned Spring 2010 collection, which includes a couple of animal-free styles that will give vegans happy feet. Decked with abstract sailing-inspired patterns, the Seaport and Tangier Classics feature uppers made from hemp and recycled plastic bottles, latex arch supports, and recycled EVA outsoles. Plus, like all of TOMS shoes, each pair you buy will pay it forward with a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

+ Women’s Vegan Classics $54

+ Men’s Vegan Classics $54

+ TOMS Shoes

Turn Used Plastic Bags Into a Pair of Upcycled Rain Boots

Jasmin Malik Chua — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:00:04 +0000

What better footwear to go with the DIY IKEA raincoat we featured last week than these upcycled rain boots? (They even come in the same shade of ultramarine—sartorial kismet!) Conceived by Waste for Life by Louie Rigano, a senior at the Rhode Island School of Design, the sturdy and surprisingly chic galoshes are fabricated from plastic bags collected by cartoneros, or impoverished Argentineans who make their living collecting trash in Buenos Aires.

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Eco-Footwear Goes Mainstream With Launch of Naya Shoes

Jasmin Malik Chua — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:00:58 +0000

Call a bandwagon a bandwagon if you must, but Naya isn’t just a fresh-off-the-presses line of eco-friendly wedges, heels, and flats. It’s also a ringing endorsement that the sustainability movement is doing something right. The first company-owned brand launched by the billion-dollar Brown Shoe Co. in 10 years, Naya joins established sibling brands like Dr. Scholls, Buster Brown, and Via Spiga, as well as the Famous Footwear chain of stores.

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Olsenhaus Makes Eco-Chic Vegan Shoes From Recycled TVs (No Foolin’!)

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:56 +0000

With the transition to all-digital broadcasts, the planet isn’t exactly hurting for obsolete TV sets. Which is why vegan footwear purveyor Olsenhaus is making a switch of its own—by cladding Its entire Fall/Winter 2010 collection of pumps, wedges, stiletto booties, and knee-highs in an innovative polyester microfiber made from trashed television screens.

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Japanese Company Upcycles Scrap Tires Into Cool-Looking Sneakers, Bags

Johnny Strategy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:00:30 +0000

Keeping tires out of landfills is a tough job considering how many they are. (Multiply the number of cars on the road by four or in the case of large trucks, as much as 18.) Still, tire recycling has evolved beyond roping one onto a tree and calling it a swing. For one Japanese eco-fashion label, scrap tires are also grist for some pretty spectacular sneakers and bags.

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JGoods’ Sneaker Restoration Kit Makes Your Old Shoes New Again

Daniel Mendes — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:00:45 +0000

Instead of trading your old, beloved sneakers for a younger model, consider making them freshly wearable again with the sneaker restoration kit from JGoods. The custom-shoe company has cobbled a collection of tools (including brushes, sponges, finish remover, and leather paint) together to make your grimy kicks sparkle like new. No previous shoe-restoration experience is necessary. A comprehensive guide shows you how to spiff up and maintain your sneakers to keep them out of the landfill for longer.

+ JGoods Sneaker Restoration Kit $35

+ JGoods

Kitty Cooper Shoes Upcycle Vintage Fabrics to Dazzling New Heights

Yuka Yoneda — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:36 +0000

If Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prognostications are bumming you out, perk those spirits up by ogling Kitty Cooper’s glam array of heels in cheerful, retro prints. Made of vintage fabrics from the ’20s to ’70s by a family business in East London, these ruffly wedges and luscious peep-toes are enough to make any pin-up girl go gaga. Is it spring yet?

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“Augmented Reality” Sneakers by Adidas Unlock 3-D Virtual World

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:00:42 +0000

For the shoemakers at Adidas, plain ol’ reality is a snooze-inducing yawnfest. Its Augmented Reality Shoe Game Pack, a collection of five “experiential” men’s sneakers due in select Champs Sports and Eastbay stores this month, is designed to kick things up a notch by placing a three-dimensional virtual world at your finger…uh…toe tips.

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Vans Steps Up Green Cred With Tony Alva Skateboarding Shoes

Daniel Mendes — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:00:05 +0000

Vans has once again teamed up with Tony Alva, skateboard legend and the godfather of pool skating, in its newest rendition of his classic sneaker. The limited-edition shoes are constructed with eco-friendly materials, including water-based adhesives, recycled gum-rubber, and recycled PET. Look for the Mid Skool 77 Pro and the Era Pro at your local retailers in February for $60-$70.

+ Vans

Rilfa by Scully: Eco-Chic Cycling Accessories for the Fashion Conscious

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:00:49 +0000

Cycle chic gets a leg up with an urbane collection of bike accessories that are as eco-friendly as your carbon-eschewing two-wheeler. Featuring a ventilated helmet cloche, gloves, ankle booties, and a bag, the conceptual Rilfa line by Scully is a deft marriage of organic wool, vegan leather, and reflective trim, designed by an avid cyclist for avid cyclists.

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