Stella McCartney has once again enlisted Mother Nature’s help to assemble some sexy and sustainable shoes for her Spring Summer 2010 collection. Cork is the sustainable material chosen to give life to this chic collection. This assortment of wedges, pumps, flats and sandals pops up like spring tulips!
Stella McCartney Satin Cork Platform Sandals in Sunflower
What makes cork such an excellent component for eco friendly shoes is that cork is an environmentally friendly renewable material. It is produced from the bark of the Cork Oak tree that grows primarily around the Mediterranean Sea region. After the trees reach 25 years of maturity, the cork is harvested every nine years; the quality of cork gets better as the trees age. Cork is a perfect material for shoes because it is lightweight, dense, impermeable, resilient and provides good cushioning and support for the foot. One of the qualities I find most impressive about eco friendly shoe designers like Stella McCartney is their daring approach to using sustainable materials to finely craft wearable glamorous shoes. Stella’s Spring Summer 2010 collection captures the simpleness and conveys the versatility of cork in the high fashion style we’ve come to expect from her.
Cork’s most notable use has been for stoppers in wine bottles. But, if you’re wondering what to do with your corks, I encourage you to explore ReCork America’s natural wine cork recycling program by visiting recork.org. This recycling program is being sponsored by Corticeira Amorim of Portugal, the world’s largest producers of natural wine corks. ReCork America is collaborating with with American Airlines Admirals Club(®)/Sodexo, The Wine Tasting Network, Wholefoods and others to collect corks that may have otherwise ended up in landfills. Instead, these corks can be re-purposed for shoes, flooring, insulation and myriad of other uses.
Stella McCartney Linda Wedge Sandal
Strap up, sling back and pop a cork!
More Shoes,
~Ar
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the First Greenabulous Affair in Atlanta. This event was produced by the areas premier event organizers All About Me Mixer, Futuristic Branding Solutions & Events, Broccoli City, and W Social Marketing. The event team transformed the ultra chic Nouvelle Nail Spa and delivered a spectacular evening of eco-luxury. The guest included both eco aficionados and an eco prurient or two seeking to achieve a greeanbulous lifestyle. This affair had something for every aspiring Eco Diva, eco friendly jewelry, a tasty organic buffet with deserts and cooking demonstrations, organic wine, refreshing juices, an array of eco friendly beauty products samples including nail treatments by Nouvelle Nail Spa’s own using eco friendly nail lacquers.
Cri De Coeur display at Greenabulous-Atlanta, GA
Eco Shoe Source was able to display several stunning samples from eco friendly Cri De Coeur’s upcoming Spring Hearts of Darkness Shoe Collection. This luminescent collection is anything but dark. Cri De Coeur certainly has not missed a detail with this lovely collection of pumps, flats and sexy gladiator inspired shoes, which delighted shoe fans in attendance. This vegan trio featured sparkling sustainable cork heel wedges, sexy satin embellishments, and sultry strappy sandals (pictured: Stella, Lizzy and Emma). I can’t wait to share more with you on this collection in future posts.
Greenabulous Affair was a treat for me also, as I had the opportunity to meet some of the Greater Atlanta areas most greenabulous professionals including the Keynote speaker, Lynnette Young, CEO of Sustainable Atlanta; Zkano Organic Sock creator, Gina Locklear; Beauty Expert Shalawn from Lamik Beauty; Gourmet Skin Care Chef Yolanda Owens of Iwi Fresh; Couturecycle was showing off some of their whimsical eco-message T’s; and never one to miss an event with shoes, Atlanta’s Shoe Shopping Examiner Monique Colbert graced the affair sporting a pair of HOT boots. And to top it off, a lucky winner received a weekend of driving compliments of Smart Car of Buckhead, which auctioned one of their eco friendly vehicles.
Greenabulous Affair effectively accomplished the goal of providing an opportunity for guest and participants to experience the luxurious side of eco and walk away feeling Greenabulous!
More Shoes
~Ar
The UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer, ASOS.com has officially launched the Green Room. The Green Room is a dedicated destination on the ASOS.com site to support social and environmental awareness for conscientious shoppers. Featuring ASOS Africa, ASOS.com own fair trade label, a collection of clothing and accessories designed, sourced and produced in collaboration with several small communities in Africa. The site will be populated with a virtual Who’s Who list of top eco brands ranging the spectrum of shoes, clothing, accessories and beauty products. By accessing The Green Room, shoppers can follow the journey of their eco friendly products and read stories from the real people behind the brands.
In the Women’s Eco Shoe category, Beyond Skin, Terra Plana, Vivienne Westwood for Melissa, and Swedish Hasbeens (pictured) are brands slated to be offered. ASOS.com is ethical shopping at its best!
More Shoes,
~Ar
