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Naot Debuts Plant-Based Leather Collection

The eco-friendly capsule collection struts its stuff at Kornit Fashion Week LA. Life is Good Slips

THERE’S NO TIME like the present for Naot, in collaboration with Nova Milan, to introduce its first eco-friendly capsule collection of sandals featuring zero-impact vegan leather uppers made of agricultural waste. And there was no better place than the recent American debut of the sustainably-themed Kornit Fashion Week in Los Angeles as the setting.

Ayelet Lax Levy, president of Naot USA, believes the world has changed rapidly over the past two years as consumers are increasingly concerned about matters of sustainability and the environment. They demand more choices. “As a brand, we’ve always had eco-friendly manufacturing as part of our process and this year we introduced our first vegan collection,” she says. “We cannot get enough of that product as consumers have all but raced to buy it.”

Now there will be seven more styles to choose from for Spring ’22. The vegan capsule collection comes in array of bright, eye-catching prints on the leather made of agricultural waste, such as hemp, pineapple leaves, coconut, banana and water hyacinth. In addition, each sandal is made in Naot’s Israeli-based factory, where Lax Levy says the entire range of footwear is produced in an eco-friendly and ethically-mannered way. “Our factory is right near one of the largest nature preserves in Israel and has been held to higher standards because of that,” she says. “We still use handcrafting in our manufacturing processes, and our boxes are made out of recycled and biodegradable materials. We ask ourselves about the impact on the environment in almost every decision we make as a company.”

So far so good, reports Lax Levy on the initial response to the collection. “We’ve had great feedback, and many of our retailers are asking how quickly they can receive the shoes,” she says, adding that there’s more to come soon. “We’ll continue to go in this (sustainably designed) direction, and we’ll have some exciting news about this regarding Fall ’22.” —Greg Dutter

into Slippers

Green Market Services to the produce collection.

THE GOOD VIBES mantra of Life is Good will now extend to slippers through a license agreement with Green Market Services (GMS) beginning with the Fall/Winter ’22 season. In collaboration with Life is Good, GMS will design, manufacture and distribute the new collection of slippers in adult and kids’ styles featuring colorful Life is Good graphics. The collection will also include durable indoor-outdoor slippers.

Kosta Nicolopoulos, vice president of Brand and Business Development for GMS, says slippers are a timely extension for the outdoor lifestyle brand that specializes in casual apparel and sleepwear for the whole family. “Slippers have always been popular during the fall and holidays, and in recent years Millennials have made them a part of their daily wardrobes,” he says, adding that the pandemic has driven the category to become a staple for most people’s wardrobes.

Suggested retail price points for adults is $35 to $60, while kids’ run from $30 to $45. Distribution will span department stores, shoe chains and specialty outdoor, comfort and athletic shops. Nicolopoulos believes the collection represents a great opportunity for retailers looking to introduce a new brand into their assortments or build on their existing Life is Good experience. “The collection is fun and cheerful, includes lots of color and materials, and incorporates the band’s messages of optimism onto to the slipper uppers and outsoles,” he says.

In addition to quality product, Nicolopoulos says the two entities are trusted partners. Life is Good was founded in 1994 by brothers Bert and John Jacobs, who traveled the East Coast selling their original t-shirt designs in college dormitories. The brothers’ mission of spreading optimism through its products is a scientifically-backed approach to living a happier and more fulfilling life. The company donates 10 percent of its annual net profits to help kids in need through the Life is Good Kids Foundation. The foundation’s Playmaker Program provides childcare professionals with support that help them understand trauma and compassion-informed care. More than 12,000 childcare professionals help more than 1 million kids annually.

Meanwhile, GMS has been a go-to private label and licensing supplier for national brands and retailers for more than 50 years. The Brockton, MA, company is known for delivering exceptional value and on-trend styles of slippers, moccasins, clogs and shearling boots through its network of factories in China, Vietnam and Cambodia with expertise in slippers and handsewn footwear not found in general purpose factories. “The Life is Good message and our extensive experience in the slipper category combine perfectly to create an extraordinary opportunity,” Nicolopoulos says, noting that the early response from retailers has been strong. “Buyers love the fun color palette and wide range of commercial graphics, as well as the price points.” —G.D.

Vionic Collection Goes Deep

Partnership with Proteus Ocean Group to raise awareness for oceans and climate change.

VIONIC, A DIVISION OF CALERES, is joining forces with Fabien Cousteau’s Proteus Ocean Group to help find innovative solutions to preserve and heal the oceans. The partnership will include cobranded beach clean-up initiatives and a consumer education campaign with the debut, this June, of a sea-inspired capsule collection within the brand’s eco-conscious Beach sneakers line. Angela S. Caltagirone, general manager for Vionic, says the partnership marks the latest step in the brand’s commitment to a sustainable and environmentally conscious future.

“By sharing what an organization like Proteus is making possible, we hope to energize our consumers to drive change with their own highly impactful daily decisions as well—however big or small they may be,” Caltagirone says. “Awareness is the very first step to problem solving.”

In addition to outsoles made from a rubber- and soybean-based compound, the Vegan-certified Proteus collection will feature uppers made of Repreve Our Ocean textile, a 100 percent post-consumer recycled material fabricated from ocean-bound plastic bottles collected within 30 miles of coastlines in areas that lack formal waste-recycling systems. The uppers will be adorned with a custom coral print inspired by the reefs off of Curaçao, where Proteus conducts its research. Seeing how Vionic is also about wellness for the body, the collection will include its podiatrist-developed Three-Zone Comfort technology, which promotes overall foot health and relief to those who suffer from painful conditions such as plantar fasciitis.

Cousteau, grandson of famed explorer and conservationist Jacques Cousteau, welcomes Vionic as a founding sponsor to his organization. “Challenges created by climate change, rising sea levels, extreme storms and viruses represent a multi-trillion-dollar risk to the global economy,” he says. “Our partnership with Vionic will open up more opportunities to collaborate and connect with consumers who are environmentally conscious.” Caltagirone envisions the Proteus partnership evolving in the years ahead. “We have aggressive sustainability goals within Vionic and across Caleres,” she says. “We look forward to bringing our learnings from Proteus to the evolution of our entire line while inspiring the larger industry on a path towards 100 percent sustainable products.” Caltagirone adds, “We’ll lean on their expertise and leadership to help guide us in making the best eco-forward decisions. In turn, we’ll bring their message to our raving fans to create greater demand for better options in our Fabien Cousteau daily lives. Together, we believe that there’s no such thing as the impossible!” —G.D.

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