Payless celebrated Earth Day yesterday by launching a new line of inexpensive eco-friendly shoes. Called Zoe&Zac, the new collection features shoes made from organic cotton canvas, linen, hemp, non-PVC foam beds, recycled rubbers, and water-based glues. Model Summer Rayne Oakes is the spokesperson for the new line, and said, “The most common misconception about sustainable fashion is that it comes in one color and looks one way- neutral, boxy, baggy, shapeless. The best sustainable fashion is invisible and that’s what zoe&zac is all about.” I’m not sure that I want my fashion to be invisible, but I do like the idea that eco-friendly designs are now nearly impossible to distinguish from more traditional options. As more and more eco-friendly shoes hit the market, it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish real earth-savers from poseurs hoping for a tidy footwear profit. Here are a few questions to consider when shopping for sustainable shoes.
The lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas feels your recession shoe-aholic pain. She knows her fans can’t afford to run out and buy an expensive new product just because it bares her name. So, she made sure her new line of gladiator style sandals and pumps are affordable– or at least more affordable than the shoe lines of competing pop star shoe-sellers like Gwen Stefani. Fergie’s shoes, available at Nordstrom, are priced online between $90 and $130, while Stefani’s soles can run over $300. Despite her international stardom, Fergie seems eager to price her footwear for the masses. She recently said, “I would feel really irresponsible right now to have a line that was completely out of my fans’ price range.”
Payless celebrated Earth Day yesterday by launching a new line of inexpensive eco-friendly shoes. Called Zoe&Zac, the new collection features shoes made from organic cotton canvas, linen, hemp, non-PVC foam beds, recycled rubbers, and water-based glues. Model Summer Rayne Oakes is the spokesperson for the new line, and said, “The most common misconception about sustainable fashion is that it comes in one color and looks one way- neutral, boxy, baggy, shapeless. The best sustainable fashion is invisible and that’s what zoe&zac is all about.” I’m not sure that I want my fashion to be invisible, but I do like the idea that eco-friendly designs are now nearly impossible to distinguish from more traditional options. As more and more eco-friendly shoes hit the market, it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish real earth-savers from poseurs hoping for a tidy footwear profit. Here are a few questions to consider when shopping for sustainable shoes.
