SUSTAINABLE SOLES

WITH INCREASED FOCUS ON CONSUMPTION, FOOTWEAR BRANDS LIKE ROTHY’S PAVE A PATH FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION

When Roth Martin and Stephen Hawthornthwaite sought to create a truly sustainable footwear option for women, they had little idea just how seriously they would disrupt the footwear industry.

Martin and Hawthornthwaite began working on Rothy’s in 2012, and the brand launched in 2016 after four years of painstaking trial and error of finding a sustainable, zero-waste production method. The founders sought out technology that made it possible to create a fashion-forward, high-performing shoe women would want to wear. Styles include rounded and pointed flats, loafers, sneakers, and sandals in neutral and bright colors and fun prints.

“The vision was to create a frontof-the-closet product that was an easy choice for women and was beautiful, comfortable, sustainable, and could carry them throughout their day,” Hawthornthwaite says.

Rothy’s shoes are made using thread spun from recycled plastic, which is then knit into the brand’s signature thread. The strobel boards are crafted with an algae-based foam, made from harmful algae harvested from the waterways to keep marine ecosystems in balance, and the outsoles are made using natural renewable rubber. All of Rothy’s shoes are made with a proprietary 3-D knitting technology and handcrafted assembly, resulting in a near zero-waste production process. Shoes are flexible, lightweight, and machine washable, making them ideal for travel, commuting, and everyday wear.

“The real key to sustainability, and ultimately circularity, is owning your own factory,” he says, adding that Rothy’s factory is based in Dongguan, China. “Through knitting and 3-D knitting, we have a near zero-waste product. We control how much we produce and

we can be very responsive to demand.”

This year, Rothy’s introduced its second and most-requested category: men’s. It launched with a sneaker and driving loafer and, like all of Rothy’s styles and colorways, products eschew trends in favor of classic styles and colorways that will remain chic for years to come.

“It’s been eight years in the making, on some level,” Hawthornthwaite says of the decision to launch a men’s collection. “Men and their shopping habits have evolved, and there aren’t as many choices for men in the market for stylish, sustainable products. We’ve already seen tremendous success.”

Rothy’s hopes to be fully circular by 2023 and is currently developing an in-house recycling program. The brand hopes to eventually launch a program where people can send their older products back to Rothy’s to recycle and reuse in future shoes.

“There are so many different materials that go into a shoe that it’s been difficult for brands to recycle each part, as they’ve been fused with adhesives and what not,” he says. “Our most complex shoe has seven different materials, so we’re designing at the beginning with the end in mind.”

This way of thinking isn’t common with most brands whose goals are strictly profit-driven. But as the world’s collective consciousness surrounding sustainability evolves, some brands are changing their tune.

The demand and need for sustainable clothing, shoes, and accessories has skyrocketed in recent years. The fashion industry produces around 4% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, and nearly 300 million pairs of shoes end up in landfills each year. Some of the most prolific names in fashion, including Stella McCartney, Gucci, Gabriela Hearst, Nicholas Kirkwood, and more, have committed in some way to reducing their carbon footprint or transitioning to using sustainable or recycled materials.

SHOE BRANDS COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY Stella McCartney’s fall/winter collection features 80% eco-friendly materials, including recycled polyester and elastane, organic cotton, regenerated nylon, beechwood soles, and more. In 2014, the brand began using bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane for its shoe soles.

The sustainable movement has also allowed new brands to enter the market whose mission from the beginning is to create sustainable or zero-waste footwear options that don’t skimp on style. For example: Piferi, an Italian footwear label whose ethos is to combine luxury with good-for-the-Earth materials. Piferi uses vegan leather made of 48% bio polyols derived from nonfood and GMO-free field corn, resulting in a lighter carbon footprint and less energy. Its vegan suede is made from recycled plastic.

“It doesn’t take an activist to imagine a leather-free future,” founder Alfredo Piferi says. “I am challenging how vegan shoes look and feel. To me, it’s more than a concept of style. It is a mission of style.”

Many footwear brands prove that high fashion and sustainability can go hand in hand. Italian-based Iindaco considers every material used in a shoe. Its leather is sourced from scraps from the meat and dairy industries that would otherwise be discarded, and other components of its shoes are made using recycled and recyclable materials.

Major online retailers are also encouraging sustainability like Net-APorter’s Net Sustain, a curated platform of clothing, shoes, and accessories that have been consciously crafted.

While there’s still a long way to go, these companies prove that sustainability in fashion can exist.

“I think Rothy’s is proof to the world that you can create a highgrowth company that is profitable while also doing the right thing,” Hawthornthwaite says. “It’s possible to have a 360-degree view as it relates to sustainability and circularity.”

Opposite page: Driving loafers from Rothy’s newest line. This page, from left: Rothy’s pointed flats for women; heels from Piferi, are made of good-for-the-Earth materials.