Sustainable Fashion ~ Put Your Best Foot Forward

Earth Week is upon us (Earth Day April 22) and in honor of that I would like to take a look at a revolutionary new idea ~ Footwear as Fertilizer??


The concept of sustainable fashion encompasses all fashion products (clothing and accessories) that have been created and constructed from materials that contribute to a more equal and balanced world, reducing your impact on the environment. There are many companies who by innovation, creativity and a common love and respect for the earth we all share are creating products that are usable and fashionable. I want to focus on my favorite fashion accessory; SHOES! We all know how fabulous a great shoe collection can be but what do you do with them when they are damaged beyond repair and you are forced to dispose of your tired old soles? There are many programs that do exists who “recycle”, repair or re-use shoes but for the most part there is a cost to you to ship them and it can be a time consuming and inconvenient task to research, pay, package and send them. We want to minimize our footprint on the environment and try to avoid the discards ending up in the landfill, right?


There is a company called OAT shoes ( http://www.oatshoes.com/ ) that has come up with a resolution to your shoe sorrows. They have created a biodegradable shoe that leaves no footprint on the environment except the ones you have made by walking, dancing or running in them. They are merging attractive style with a green concept that until now has been unheard of in the shoe industry (at least by me). How does it work? Once you are ready to bid farewell to your shoes you bury (or plant) them in your garden, woods, or compost, water regularly and watch flowers bloom from your old sneakers. Watch your shoes go from footwear to fertilizer. Their vision: “The future of fashion lies in a reconciliation between nature and industry. OAT Shoes strives to lead the way to that future.” So far they have 2 different, high and low top sneaker styles in 4 colors (Green, Blue, Red, Yellow). The company is based out of Amsterdam and these sustainable sneaks go for approximately 149 EUROs ($215 USD). Regardless of the cost of the shoe the environmental cost is much higher when dealing with the disposal of their conventional counterpart. I am sure that they will be available in the US soon as we are a nation concerned about our planet AND fashion! I wonder how long the shoes last in comparison to a conventional sneaker? You can contact the duo of Sustainable Sneakers (Dirk-Jan Oudshoorn & Christtiaan Maats) via their website (http://www.oatshoes.com/) to inquire if you want to take your future flower pots for a spin or have any questions about their products. The site looks new since I first discovered it a few weeks ago.
They also have Facebook and twitter pages! and a section for frquently Asked Questions.


They need to contact ME when they make the first sustainable stylish stiletto or botany based boots. I would love to take a sneaker for a spin and write a review! I'm a size 9 and I'll take the low-tops in red please ;) *All Images courtesy of www.OATshoes.com*