More Summer Rayne Oakes news, for all you fans! The eco-model, journalist and activist has teamed up with Payless Shoes to create a new line of ultra-affordable eco-friendly shoes for men and women. Shoes from the line, called Zoe and Zac, won’t sell for more than $30 a pair. And, if you’re skeptical about how green shoes from Payless could really be, Summer Rayne Oakes is here to tell you that it’s legit. She’s the brand’s sustainability strategist.
From Eco Chick:
“They have organic cotton bodies, the dyes are heavy-metal free, and all the metal details are nickel-free,” she said of the printed ballet flats, sneakers, flip-flops and espadrilles in the collection. Even the elastic band on one style is made from recycled PET. We also discussed adhesives, the material that makes up the foot beds and the soles, and without getting into all the chemistry specifics, I’ll just say that Summer and Payless covered a lot of the sustainability bases for the very first collection in their green line.
Payless is eager to “do a better job as corporate citizens”, according to the company’s spokesperson, Mardi Larson. Starre of Eco Chick was concerned about “the ghettoization of green”, fearing that companies will only market truly eco-friendly products at people who are already concerned about the environment, leaving everyone else with earth-trashing non-green stuff. Mardi’s response was that Payless hopes to “democratize green”.
While I’d normally be suspicious about something like this, the fact that Summer Rayne Oakes has a hand in the eco-friendliness of the line makes me totally confident that earth-friendly shoes will soon be affordable for all. It’s a great step in the right direction – we’ve got to make ‘green’ accessible for everyone!
Link [Eco Chick]
Photo credit: Eco Chick
