11 Jun 17 Sustainable Shoe Brands with the Best Sandals
Salt + Umber
Type: Fair Trade, Conscious, Vegetable Tanned Leathers
Salt + Umber brand crafts their totally conscious vegetable-tanned leather and scrap leather sandals in small batches. In addition, they are almost zero-waste and use 3-D printing technology to minimize waste in their designs. Plus, they exclusively partner with ethical factories that have been certified by SMETA. After that they run a microloan program for the women in rural India who craft their products.
Swahili Coast
Type: Fair Trade, Worker-owned
This brand is all about the workers. Therefore, Swahili Coast is worker-owned, managed and financed. They are based on the Eastern African Coast and work with women’s cooperatives in Tanzania and Kenya. The business is managed in Wilmington, North Carolina. Above all, the brand gives fair wages, safe working conditions, and growth opportunities to the women who work with them.
Proud Mary
Type: Ethical
Preservation with exploration is the motto at Proud Mary. In other words, they preserve artisan techniques and work with 30+ artisan groups to provide new opportunities to workers. The sandals are made in Morocco and feature traditional weaving.
Parme Marin
Type: Artisan Partnerships, Limited Runs
Parme Marin partners with artisans in Morocco to build long-lasting economic opportunities. Along the way, the artisans are reviving the use of their ancient craft skills. After that, Parme Marin produces in limited production cycles to minimize waste. Plus, Parme Marin also uses recycled packaging for all their products.
Castaner
Type: Ethical
Castaner have been around since the early 1900’s. Similarly to their early years, today they source natural jute leaves and then dye them. Furthermore, every shoe is hand-plaited in their atelier in Spain.
Kaanas
Type: Ethical, Artisan-Made
Kaanas was started to help bring awareness to the Wayyu culture of Colombia. This tribe makes their livelihood through traditional weaving. The brand produces locally in Colombia with local production and culturally conscious product lines.
St. Agni
Type: Ethical, Handcraft
Minimalist in style, St. Agni is locally produced in Indonesia. The materials are also all locally sourced in Indonesia to reduce carbon impact. Additionally, the brand only produces enough to meet demand and the shoes are made at small factories which helps with oversight.
Type: Artisan Crafted
Ulla Johnson is know for her stunning prints and intricate patterns. The same applies to her shoes. Everything in her collection is handcrafted by artisans around the world.
Kyma
Type: Handmade, Vachetta Leather
Handcrafted in Greece by traditional Greek artisans. These sandals are as ethical and as Greek as you can get. They are made with vachetta leather which is naturally dyed and dried.
Type: Artisan Made, Heritage Craft
Figue works around the world with different artisan communities. The sandals are handcrafted using traditional techniques and motifs to help bring artisan crafts to the world with the bohemian flare Figue is known for.
Reformation
Type: Sustainable
Made from chrome-free leather. Reformation produces in L.A. and California using sustainable production and natural materials.
Manebi
Type: Natural Materials, Traditional
Manebi sandals combine Italian design with Spanish craftsmanship. They are produced in La Rioja using natural jute and rubber. The fibers used are cotton, linens, and leathers sourced from Italy and the E.U.
Ancient Greek Sandals
Another footwear brand that is about all things Greek. Ancient Greek Sandals takes inspiration from both the aesthetics and mythology of Ancient Greece. They also take craftsmanship from the ancients. The tanning process is chemical free.
Emme Parsons
Type: Ethical
Minimalist sandals for an understated and timeless look. Emme Parsons manufactures at ethically certified partner factories in Tuscany. The sandals also come with reusable totes instead of dust bags for an eco-friendly touch.
Carrie Forbes
Type: Ethical and Artisan
Carrie Forbes launched her first collection in 2014. Her sandals are all made in Morocco using traditional skills indigenous to the country. Each sandal can take up to a day to make because of the interact traditional weaving techniques used.
Laiik
Type: Slow, Responsible
Every pair of Laiik sandals is handmade in a small family run factory in Athens. They use vachetta tanned leather and the leather is sourced from tanneries in Tuscany that are investing in waste reduction techniques to reduce their environmental impact.
Rooted Soles
Charlotte Stone
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