Gone are the days when I’d buy sky-high heels or feminine flats on a mere whim. Even though I have greatly simplified my closet over the last few years, I still have a soft spot for gorgeous vegan shoes. These days, I’m just as selective about my fashion as I am with food I eat and what beauty products I’ll slather on my skin. It all comes down to research.
For me, the people behind any vegan fashion product, and their philosophies, are just as important as the items they produce. Veteran vegetarian footwear designers Nancy Dong and Carlotta Fiorini, say they wanted their passion for beautiful shoe design to have a positive impact on the planet—and to be very much part of the solution. Sounds good to me. Plus, their shoes are divine.
The passionate fashionistas have ensured wearing earth-friendly fashion doesn’t mean you have to wear hemp sacks on your feet—doing good for animals and the planet can be done in style (without forsaking comfort, either). Inspired by the social entrepreneur business model, they created the very vegan and ecological Do-Ni. Made from high-quality Italian leather-free materials, their Do-Ni Nobilia ballerinas (see below) are held together with water-based, animal-free glue and adorned with pre-consumer recycled components. Love!
For Nancy and Carlotta, doing good hasn’t stopped with simply creating eco-friendly footwear. With the direct sale of each pair, 100 percent of retail proceeds are donated to non-profit organisations, with the buyer given the choice of exactly where the money goes. To look great and give back, head to www.do-ni.com for more info.
