Shoes & Slippers
Kyrgies Wool Slippers
Indoor house shoes/slippers for men, women and children, made of handcrafted wool felt by women artisans. Also felted insoles. Many nice colors and neutrals. I bought a pair of these and I love them. “Kyrgies are born of a tradition that is thousands of years old. Kyrgies are produced in Bishkek, Kyrgystan, where wet felting with sheep wool is both a tradition and a necessity. No other textile withstands heat in the summer and the cold, wet winters as well as wool felt. Because of this, the Kyrgyz people have been felting for centuries, passing this skill on from one generation to the next. The Kyrgyz women who make our Kyrgies use felting techniques that have been developed over thousands of years. They mix their hands in water, wool, and 100% natural soap, not harmful toxic chemicals. By sourcing our felt products in Kyrgyzstan, we are supporting a sustainable cultural legacy.” Their All Naturals, Classics, and Insoles meet my toxic-free standards.
Po-Zu
These amazing shoes are made from organic cotton, wool, coconut husks, natural latex, cork, and leather. “All our materials come from naturally renewable sources and are responsibly harvested. They contain no pesticides, bleaches or toxic dyes and are locally sourced wherever possible. We use organic cotton in our shoes and all our leather is chromium-free. You can read about our materials in more detail here.” Every shoe has a complete materials description (click on the “materials” tab on each product page). Great styles! This company is based in the UK. I don’t usually recommend websites out of the country, but I’ve never seen anything like these shoes! You can even have them custom-make shoes to your own design specifications.
FEIT
Shoes for women and men made with exceptional craftsmanship and materials. “In 2004 FEIT [fight] was born as a response—an evolution of consumerism and production that moves away from volume and excess, and towards quality and sustainability. FEIT footwear is built for longevity, from natural materials via human construction. All FEIT footwear is hand sewn and hand lasted by a master shoe maker. Few makers are skilled enough to produce footwear in this manner, hence only limited numbers can be produced…FEIT adheres to a strict policy of using biological materials and natural treatments whenever possible. Natural materials breathe, patina and become one with the wearer. Materials page.
Bryr Studio
Stylish clogs made just for you from a solid block of lindenwood (finish with a natural wax) and veg tanned leather “made in the United States by heritage tanneries.”
Softstar Shoes
Handmade shoes for infants, kids and adults since 1984. And because each pair is handmade, you can customize your shoes with choices of colors. “We make minimal shoes for happy, healthy feet! Every one of our shoes is handcrafted at our Oregon, USA workshop… We are careful to source non-toxic materials for our shoes, including leather colored with food-grade dye and non-toxic adhesives… we use only leathers which meet high safety standards both for our customers, and for the environment. As our little ones like to occasionally chew on their shoes, it is important to us they are as chemical-free as possible. Many shoes today (99.9%) are imported from countries using formaldehyde tanning methods. Not only is this chemical a potential irritant to your skin and absorbable transdermally, but it poisons ground water downstream from tanneries, and causes well-documented health issues with tannery employees. Almost all or our leather is sourced from USA tanneries to ensure that strict regulations are adhered to. When the leather is not available from USA tanneries, it is sometimes sourced from approved tanneries in Italy, Brazil, South Korea or Germany which meet labor and environmental standards set by our supplier. We are proud to also offer Ecopell vegetable tanned leather from Germany, which we import due to their extremely high standards for quality and sustainable practices, arguably the best in the world.” Soles are made out of natural rubber, durable suede, or a tough leather. Their shop is run from 100% solar or wind energy.
Z Shoes
OK here we are…”Every Z Shoe starts with a comfortable sole made from 100% organic, fair trade, sustainably-harvested Amazonian Sharinga rubber…No plastic or synthetic fibers here. Z Shoes are made from 100% organic, fair trade sustainably-harvested cotton from the Solo y San Miguel regions of Peru…Even the beautiful coral and navy blue options available in the Z Shoes line up come from 100% organic plant dyes sourced from in the Amazon…Z Shoes is proud to offer the world’s finest line of fair trade and organic shoes. ”
Cariuma
This is a Brazilian company that makes great looking casual sneakers. They use safer materials including GOTS certified organic cotton uppers, natural latex soles and low impact dyes. The top of the insole, which is in contact with your foot is made of organic cork. The underside of the insole is made with a bioplastic that is better than a petroleum-based insole but not entirely natural. They also make leather, suede and knit sneakers but I recommend the cotton canvas models if you’re looking for the safest materials.
Shipping and returns are free to the U.S. and trees are planted in the Brazilian rainforest to make each shipment carbon neutral.
etiko
This is an Australian company that makes sneakers as well as clothing basics and backpacks. Products ship from Australia so shipping costs and impact aren’t ideal but this is one of the cleanest sneakers I’ve seen. They use GOTS certified organic cotton, natural latex soles and low impact dyes. They also have a comprehensive environmental policy and were the first fashion brand in the Southern Hemisphere to become fair trade certified.
Oralba
One-of-a-kind shoes, handcrafted using all natural materials: Jute fibers, 100% cotton fabrics, and handmade natural cotton cording. “Oralba’s Shoes products are entirely hand made with bio-friendly, recyclable materials, featuring comfort and unique classic designs and styles that never go out of style. The simplicity and versatility of our shoes make them unique in the market. The designer hand selects the most exquisite fabrics to use as uppers of the shoes to create unique handmade footwear. Each pair is hand-crafted and features a classic style that is easy to match with varying fashions.”
Armstrong’s All Natural
All natural leather care products, including boot wax, boot shine, leather conditioner, leather wax and saddle soap, plus genuine natural wood and horsehair buffing brushes. “ARMSTRONG’S ALL NATURAL products are handmade in small batches in New York, USA. Our mission is to refocus American manufacturing by locally sourcing pure, natural ingredients that support sustainable farming practices in order to produce the highest quality handcrafted, artisanal products possible. We use minimal, high-recyclable-content packaging and we have essentially zero waste. Since we do not use synthetic chemicals, any “waste” is diverted to our garden or compost system, if not recycled. We use certified organic ingredients whenever possible.” Also other interesting leather products and accessories.
