Elizabeth Olsen has always been a visionary, especially when it comes to using bleeding-edge materials— recycled plastic bottles and recycled TV screens, anyone?—for her vegan-footwear label. On Thursday night, the Olsenhaus founder's commitment to a more verdant future was even more apparent when the she joined forces with the Pratt Institute to host "Vegan Glamour in Designers of the Future," an event aimed at energizing the next generation of sustainable designers.

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FUTURE PERFECT

When the founder of Olsenhaus challenges you to design next season’s hottest shoe, as Elizabeth Olsen did with students from the Pratt Institute, you had better produce a design that shocks and awes in a major way. Oh, and studiously avoids the tiniest smidgen of animal-derived fibers.

Olsenhaus challenged Pratt students to design next season’s hottest vegan shoe.

William Cherwin’s airy stiletto bootie took home the winning title not only for its cruelty-free provenance, but also because it’s commercially viable—an important consideration if green design is ever going to compete with the big guns of fashion. Cherwin’s shoe will be produced as part of an upcoming Olsenhaus collection, with a percentage of its proceeds going support Farm Sanctuary’s work in animal rescue and rehabilitation.

+ Olsenhaus