EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion » shoes

EcoSalon at Stockholm Fashion Week: Swedish Hasbeens SS12

Johanna Björk — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:14:52 +0000

Swedish Hasbeens present their spring/summer ’12 collection inspired by olympian Wilma Rudolph.

Even if it wasn’t one of my favorite brands ever, I would have been deeply impressed by Swedish Hasbeens’ presentation of their spring/summer 2012 collection in Stockholm last week. The basement of a shady nightclub establishment located in one of the busiest traffic circles in the city had been transformed into a retro-style gym, complete with a wooden gym floor and old-school wood benches for seats.

The collection was presented by a team of gymnasts, performing routines while wearing the shoes. I found this slightly distracting but incredibly inspiring. If there’s one thing (except gorgeous shoes) that Swedish Hasbeens excel at it’s creating distinctly different retro-vibe campaigns around each of their collections. Luckily, the shoes were all available on display for a closer look after the show. Big news for the upcoming season is that Swedish Hasbeens now make (very good-looking) men’s shoes as well.

Inspiration was drawn from sports heroes of the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, especially Wilma Rudolph, who grew up paralyzed from polio as the 20th of 22 children and was still able to set amazing world records and win three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. This showed a new generation that anything is possible, regardless of race, gender or background.

“We must never forget what sport has meant for the equality of women and men and how it still makes us stronger in body and mind,” says Emy Blixt, Designer and Creative Director of Swedish Hasbeens.

The SS ’12 collection was highly inspired by classic sport shoes such as the Saddle Shoe, the Driving Shoe, the Beach Sandal and the Bowling Boot. All these models are included in updated and often unisex form in this new, diverse collection.

“The challenge for the SS ’12 collection has been to be innovative while still staying true to the concept and the result is a collection inspired by Hasbeens like Wilma and the active lifestyle of the 1940-50s, which made fashion sportier and more comfortable,” says Blixt.

Swedish Hasbeens are always made from sustainable materials like vegetable tanned chrome-free leathers, natural rubber soles and real cork. Like the legends of the past, they only grow better with age.

EcoSalon was on the scene for their SS ’12 show. Here’s some highlights.

All runway photographs © Kristian Löveborg/ASFB

Lustables: Olsen Haus Love Shoe

Amy DuFault — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:54:42 +0000

Olsen Haus shoes are 100% vegan.

These Olsen Haus shoes are splattered with non-toxic paint in champagne, making for a unique pattern that turns out a shoe both edgy and sweet. Part of Olsen Haus’ shoe profits go to PETA, Farm Sanctuary, Greenpeace and the Theosophical Society to help promote animal rights and legislation.

$160

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

Cri De Coeur’s Luster Peep-Toe Pump Giveaway

Amy DuFault — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:41:53 +0000

There’s nothing quite like a hot pair of vegan shoes.

I mean, look at the image above of Cri de Coeur’s Luster Pumps and you know that some shoes aren’t made for walking, they’re for making others want or sweat when they see you enter the room.

Founded in 2007 by Gina Ferraraccio, who’d been interning at Anna Sui and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as for a private label lingerie line, Ferracaccio gained valuable real-world fashion and business experience before launching her Cri de Coeur vegan shoe line in 2008.

In 2009, (now co-designer) Julie Dicterow began working for the label and after only a few months, both women had simultaneous epiphanies that they were a force to be reckoned with in terms of sustainable shoe design and forward fashion.

We agree.

As smart entrepreneurs, the two also realized that some women, aching for a pair of their stylish kickers couldn’t afford them so they created a sister line called Hearts Of Darkness to accommodate a smaller shoe budget. The line includes all the same stylish looks you’ll see with Cri de Coeur proper (heels, flats and boots), but with lower price points.

The vegan shoe shoppers thank you.

For those of you that pray to the shoe gods, the time has come to pray harder as we’re offering the Luster Pump for this week’s giveaway. If you win you can get it in the plum (featured above) or black.

Just leave a comment below about how you’d feel if you won these, and you’re in the running (or walking) for a sweet pair of heels.

(Legalese: contest rules and FTC compliance.)

Why High Heels Are the Shoes of Satan

Katherine Butler — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:56:15 +0000

Can you walk in high heels? I can’t. Okay, sure, I have been known to use them to get from Point A to Point B (usually at a wedding), but do I enjoy the experience? Do any of us? These are the questions that plague womanity – or at least the ones who get to include “surviving high heels” in their lives instead of “surviving starvation and catastrophe.” Although when the Big One hits Los Angeles, it is possible I may be using my high heels as weapons in a properly recycled manner.

Why am I ranting about the high heel? Mostly because I have a closet full of them that look absolutely adorable in the store, but five steps out I’m falling off them for flats. Some of us are total wimps when it comes to foot pain. But it turns out, there’s reason for it. NPR reports on a new study showing that women who wear high heels dramatically alter their leg muscles. And they do so to the point that they can no longer stand barefoot without pain. Everyone say it with me – ouch!

According to this British study, women who wear high heels daily eventually develop shorter calf muscles and thicker Achilles tendons. In fact, calf muscles are shortened by as much as 13 percent. Marco Narici is the study’s lead author. As NPR writes, Narici “compares the effect to muscle atrophy that strikes people confined to their beds for a long time. Bed rest keeps muscles in a fixed position, causing some muscle fibers to become shorter.” Yes, we are atrophying our legs by wearing high heels. Stay with me, people – ew!

So what’s the solution? Obviously, it would be not to wear high heels. But are we really going to hang up our sassy kicks? Obviously not. On a recent Bridesmaid Adventure (because that’s the only way they can be described) I asked the bride if she would mind if wore flats to her reception. She did. So I did not.

Also, I like fashion. I can’t help it. High heels do make our legs look longer and leaner. They are ingrained in our culture as sexy shoes, and you’re going to be hard-pressed to find someone under the age of 80 who is going to completely give them up. Our NPR doctors urge that you wear high heels in shorter increments, take them off when they hurt, and to keep the heels no taller than two inches.

Or you can just complain a lot, like me.

For further reading: Why High Heels Hurt Even After You Take Them Off

Image: FaceMePLS

Sandal Meets Flat

Amy DuFault — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:20:08 +0000

Summer is a hard time for shoes. Why? Well, because of the heat, all you want to wear are sandals showing off your pretty toes but what if your toes aren’t pretty?

These Coral Flats from Brazilian brand Melissa Shoes, are your perfect answer to non-painted or lackluster nails hiding behind a coral front.

Sandal meets flat? Yes my sister.

Hypo-allergenic, recycled plastic, smells like bubble gum (not kidding) and completely cute for at least three seasons. Sold.

Soludos Espadrilles for Kicking Round Town (Or Country)

Amy DuFault — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:50:24 +0000

I don’t care whether you live in the city or in a beach town, this Fourth of July calls for laid back shoes.

These espadrilles from Soludos just launched last month and I am in love with how simple yet hip they are. And with a price tag of only $24-$28 a pair, I’m shaking.

Made with a natural jute sole and cotton upper, you’ll be in love with the solids as much as the patterns.
You might even buy two pairs to get you through the rest of the summer.

The Beige Report Addresses Oozing Foot Cleavage

Amy DuFault — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:39:22 +0000

A few years ago, I was trying on a pair of Melissa shoes when the shop owner, a good friend, said my feet were too wide for the shoe.

“All that foot cleavage isn’t good,” she said, as I stared down and looked at the sides of my foot over-spilling the non-existent sides of the shoe and onto the wood floor below. This fairly traumatic life event forced me to recognize this seasonal issue, which I now spot wherever I go.

The popular definition of foot cleavage is when your toes are showing but in cases like mine – we add width, (especially when there are no sides to a shoe), the elements, and our gams well up to new proportions as if they’d undergone an augmentation.

How to avoid it? Meghan Cleary, (or Miss Meghan), shoe expert, author of The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You and creator of Miss Meghan® footwear, says an easy way to avoid foot cleavage is to look for wider straps.

“Foot cleavage is definitely a very subjective topic as well – some people love it and think its super sexy to show the tops of toes, some people think it’s gross. So you have to determine what’s good for you and then shop with an eye toward silhouettes that will give you more support around the foot – especially in the front.”

She also suggests looking for shoes that “hold” you in at the sides with straps or a higher toe box, especially for wider feet.

She points out her own vegan crossover wedge as an example.

Meghan Cleary Crossover Wedge

Here are some of my personal, anti-foot cleavage favorites that have nice toe beds and thicker straps:

Image: LaurenV.

Flat Out Fab Sandals That Sizzle This Summer

Greta Eagan — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:45:47 +0000

Sweet sun-filled days and warm weather evenings prompt a resurgence of stylish flat sandals that easily transition from day to night and let you roam the streets freely. Fashionable flats are always en vogue for summer.

The gladiator trend stuck around for another season and offers some daring variations – like the mid-shin version from Cri de Coeur. Balance a street chic look with a pair of Baltic flats from Olsen Haus, or keep things simple with a faux reptile skinny sandal from Sam & Libby.

Summer dresses, rompers, jeans and a tee – no matter your outfit a pair of stylish flats keep you cool and comfortable. A tad more dressy than a pair of flip flops, these flats keep you looking put together whether you’re at the pool, passing through an airport or Saturday brunching with your besties.

Etsy Seller Creates Planters Out of Reclaimed Shoes

Susan Johnston — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:53:24 +0000

I’ve had it with teetering around on dangerously tall shoes, squeezing my feet into items that are eerily reminiscent of Medieval torture devices, and dragging my sorry soles back to my apartment after a night out with the girls. I’ll settle for semi-cute, but uber-comfy footwear any day of the week.

But I love the dominatrix stiletto-turned-planter pictured above. It lets me admire a fabulous pair of shoes without the blisters or back pain. Carrie Bradshaw would be proud! (OK, she might be initially horrified about the brutal mutilation of her Manolos, but I think she’d come around.)

If I were craftier, I’d totally turn my torturous footwear into a flower holder. But I doubt could do as nice a job as Etsy’s giddyspinster. She removed the top of the shoe, sanded it, drilled holes for drainage (natch), and planted a pink a echeveria in the ball of the shoe.
If black isn’t your thing, she has planters available in several other styles and colors.

Now, isn’t this a clever way to reclaim a pair of heels? Or repurpose a single shoe that’s lost its mate? What other uses would you suggest for upcycling shoes?

Heels You Can Walk in: Don’t Give Up on Your Higher Power

Rowena Ritchie — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:05:29 +0000

Don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you with how new eco-chic shoes are turning the hemp- and earth-shoe-wearing environmental hippie stereotype on its head. You’re well aware that there’s no need to sacrifice conscience for style. But if you are like me when it comes to footwear, you might just be prepared to sacrifice comfort for style.

Oh, the benefits of wearing a fierce pair of high-heeled shoes. They make your legs look longer. Even better, they make you look longer (and importantly, not wider). And for the eco-chic dresser there’s nothing better to punctuate a vintage outfit than a pair of well made stilettos. The high heel achieves all this and injects a little sex and power into our look (I know, earlier wave feminists are turning over in their graves).

But are they healthy for us? Unfortunately, wearing high heels shifts the dynamics of the gait – which is what makes us look so damn hot in them – transferring the force away from our heels, which normally carries the weight of the stride and toward the toe. Extended wearing of heels causes unsightlies such as bunions and hammertoes. Not to mention lower back pain, shortening of the achilles tendons, and possible stress fractures. Should women just abandon high heels?

Happily, the fashion powers that be are smiling down on our tired little toes. This spring/summer season there will be no need to sacrifice because the stores are full of shoes that give you the height you desire but with the comfort gained from a stable heel and rigid instep – in the form of clogs. The nostalgic wooden-soled shoe has made a timely comeback in a multitude of sleek and sexy mule and sandal incarnations.

Check out trendy Swedish Hasbeens. They make a wonderful clog based on original ’70s models. While they’re not vegan, they do use vegetable tanned leathers that do not harm the environment. For a heart stopping vegan clog, check out Stella McCartney’s Wood Castillo Sandal, or search for vintage on Esty or eBay.