Born and Raised: Ridgewood, NJ
Founded Line: 1997
Studio Location: San Diego, CA
Number of Staff: 7
Design Heroes: hate knock-off artists, love original design concepts

Surfers are at the mercy of two of nature’s greatest forces: wind and water. Cliff Drill,”El Presidente” of Splaff Flopps, is at the mercy of very little, sans his supply of recycled foam and old drag racing tires. This Jersey native has transplanted himself to San Diego, one of the world’s most consistently gorgeous climates, in order to ride waves, hang with his homies, and make the most righteous eco-conscious flip-flops. Period.

What materials exactly make up the Splaff Flopp? Are they really 100% recycled?

Splaff Flopps are constructed from recycled car tires, recycled bicycle inner tubes, and natural hemp fabrics. They are approx 95% recycled content.

Tell us about the moment that you decided to turn an old race car tires into shoes?

I was on a surf trip with some friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We drove by a Huaracheria, a place where they make traditional mexican sandals called huaraches. Huaraches use recycled car tires for the soles and leather for the uppers. I asked my friends to pull over. I had always been obsessed with the concept of making the soles of shoes from old tires. I asked the owner of the shop, Jose, if he would teach me how to make tire shoes. He agreed and I apprenticed for him for 3 weeks…the rest is history.

Where and how do you source the tires?

All of our tires are recycled in the USA. We try to source our recycled tires locally. I try to keep lines out with all the local sources of recycled tires. Every year we use different tires. This year we are using old drag racing tires.

How has surfing inspired your design choices?

The surfing life style is what inspired me to make flip flops, instead of dress shoes, boots, high heels, running shoes, etc. For surfers, flip flops are the only viable form of footwear. I wanted to make very modest but durable flip flops for true hard core surfers….no flash….no big brand names….just a solid product. (more…)

Known for his equal commitment to high style and sustainability, Rogan Gregory has established a small empire of ethical design. His debut collection Rogan, introduced in 2001, is an homage to vintage workwear featuring hand detailed denim of the highest quality possible. Loomstate is the 100% organic spin-off of that line which launched in ‘04, before “organic denim” was even in the American vocabulary.

In 2005, along with partners Ali Hewson and Bono, the Ohio native launched Edun; a company devoted to the “Trade Not Aid” mission of bringing manufacturing and healthy commerce to impoverished areas of Africa. Also in 2005, Rogan found the time to launch his furniture line Rogan Objects (his personal assistant better be getting six figures), that uses reclaimed wood from old factories and barns in Upstate New York and tooled leather trim to create modern handcrafted pieces that are both rugged and refined. (more…)

Surfer, fly fisherman, and Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard evokes a crystal clear message… Less Is More. During his recent interview on Treehugger Radio, he illustrated this point again and again. When asked what he thought of disgruntled youngsters complaining about the “Patagucci” price point, Yvon said they should try buying one pair of shorts that “will last forever” instead of twenty poorly made ones. The 70-year-old French Canadian states simply, “you don’t need a pair of surf trunks to go surfing.” Yvon’s Buy Less philosophy may appear slightly at odds with the business of selling things, but it seems to work well for Patagonia. He says even during the recent economic recession, business is booming because during tough times, people pass on “silly stuff” and choose quality products that are built to last.

It should come as no surprise that a company founded by a longtime falconer, rock climber, and environmentalist-at-large is so committed to the preservation of nature. Patagonia is a complete stand out in the adventure apparel market when it comes to ecologically sensitive methods of operation. It was Patagonia’s anomalous commitment in the early 90’s to carry only pesticide-free cotton products that set off the organic cotton industry in the State of California. Patagonia also pioneered the use of recycled soda bottles to make fleece. They pay employees to do conservation work around the world and historically take executives to the deep wilderness to ponder major decisions for the company. (more…)

Born and Raised: Pecatonica, Illinois
Founded Line: 2005
Studio Location: Chicago
Number of Staff: 3
Design Heroines/Heroes: Ray Eames, Lara Miller, Stella McCartney, and too many “indie” designers to mention

Annie Mohaupt is just not your average fashionista. A few years back, this professional architect made her own skateboard…just for kicks. In the fall of 2005, for the Renegade Craft Fair, Annie made kicks that looked just like a skateboard. This DIY extraordinaire enjoyed making these wooden shoes so much, that she left architecture and became a full-time cobbler. Two years later, Mohop shoes is a booming business, or as booming as booming can be when your operation only turns out 8 pairs of shoes a day…Annie and company handcraft each pair of soles-wedges, flats, and heels in 3 heights. The customer gets to choose 5 sets of interchangeable laces to go with her pair of soles. An imaginative shoehound can have white slip-ons or gold gladiators; she can have classic black sandals, or rainbows and polkadots-all with just one pair of shoes! Mohops are for the creatively minded, the environmentally sensitive, or the very thrifty (think 5 pairs of handcrafted shoes for $225-that’s $45 a pair!) As the Mohop tagline states: “a new pair of shoes…every day.” Love that.

How is the Mohop line sustainable?

In a couple ways: The main materials are domestically-sourced FSC-certified wood and recycled rubber from tires. The glues and sealers are as eco-friendly as currently possible, and no leather is used - factory farming and typical tannery processes are quite detrimental to the environment. Additionally, the shoes offer many design options with the ribbon ties, so one can appear to have a huge wardrobe of sandals without consuming all the resources required for the masses of footwear that many girls dream of. Finally, the shoes are made in the USA by skilled artisans - no sweatshops involved.

What inspired you to design shoes using more eco-friendly modes and materials?

I essentially just started making shoes on a whim. As I experimented with different materials, I was happy to see that the materials I prefer also happened to be eco-friendly. I didn’t set out to make a green shoe company; I make shoes that happen to be green because I’ve found that eco-friendly materials are the most interesting to work with. Although I should admit that I am the bicycle-riding-vegan-type, so I suppose I do have a predisposition to these types of materials and processes…

Describe the look and concept of the line.

The idea is that these sandals can appeal to a wide range of women. Since the choices for green footwear are still pretty slim compared to the overall shoe industry, I wanted to make sandals that women with a wide variety of tastes and styles would be able to wear comfortably. Due to all the different tying options, every woman can achieve a one-of-a-kind look and custom fit.

(more…)

Developed at the adidas global headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Grün Collection is debuting in June of 2008. Grün translates as green in German, and that means-you guessed it-eco geeks get to shop for cool commercial sneaks again! Amen and hallelujah! The King of Cool, Adi Dassler is finally getting down with environmentally-aware manufacturing. Let’s encourage him to keep going in the eco direction by making sure to pick up a pair (or 2 or 3 if you’re me.) Most of the info on the Grün Collection is still under wraps from adidas, but I was lucky enough to get the inside scoop from one of their reps in LA on the textiles they’ll be incorporating…

The organic cotton SuperSkate Street Grün has an outsole made of gum rubber and rice husks, the Superstars will be made of worn denim with chromium-free stripes, and the Hoop Mid Grün is completely biodegradable. The Nizza Hi will get hemp fabric with recycled rubber outsoles and the classic ZX 500’s will have recycled PET (plastic soda bottle) uppers with recycled EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) insoles. Yo, now this little eco fashionista can get back to humming that famous Run DMC tune from 1986…My Adidas. On the really-real son, these kicks are FRESH!

For more Grün pics, check out SneakerFreaker.com.

The Green Toe line was launched by Simple Shoes back in 2005. According to Simple, “Green Toe represents our best possible effort towards making things better for the planet.” By my estimates, they’re doing pretty well. Sustainable materials used in Green Toe include organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, jute, cork, latex, wool felt, crepe, and recycled car tires. They use post-consumer recycled waste for their packaging and have won awards for their meticulous recycling practices. Green Toe has styles for Men, Women, and Kids that are funky, fresh, and made for comfort.

In addition to making incredible environmentally-aware footgear, Simple supports its local community and the earth at large in a myriad of ways. Earlier this week, Simple sponsored the Solutions For Dreamers Festival with Michael Franti and Spearhead, ALO, Culver City Dub Collective, and puppeteer Michael McAvene; the proceeds of which went to Santa Barbara’s own Heal The Ocean. Apparently being superstar eco shoemakers is just that Simple.

Wanna see how “Simple” it is to make shoes? Check out their DIY shoe video Stitch It. (You should check it out just in case you end up on a deserted rocky island or forget your shoes at home before heading to Lightning In A Bottle.)

Ok, the man is good looking. (It had to be said.) His name is not Tom, it’s Blake Mycoskie and he’s really into shoes. A couple of years back, Blake was volunteering in a village in Argentina and noticed a lot of kids were without shoes; their feet were covered in scrapes and many of them had infections. On February 26th, 2006, Blake had an epiphany. He would start a shoe company where for every pair of shoes purchased, a child in need would be given a pair. Toms: Shoes for Tomorrow was born.

When Blake returned to the States, he hit the ground running. He took the traditional Argentine alpargata (formerly of the working class and currently hip with the owning class in Argentina) and redesigned it with an American audience in mind. With 13 employees and 8 interns, he launched Toms Shoes a short four months later. They are now sold in Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Bloomingdales, along with tons of trendy boutiques throughout the country. They’ve been spotted on a long list of celebrities including a few of my personal favorites, Keira Knightly and Benicio Del Toro. In just two years, Blake and company have given over 60,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina and South Africa. Next stop-the breathtaking country of Ethiopia!

If you love the Toms mission and want to get involved, they’d love to hear from you!

Technically Terra Plana means flat land, but you’ll be hardpressed to find much flatness with this shoe manufacturing anomaly. Inspired by a deep desire for longterm ecological survival, Terra Plana publishes the life cycle assessment for every pair of shoes they produce. They design their shoes with reparability, lightness (to reduce shipping impact), anatomic design, and durability in mind. According to Terra Plana, they “minimize waste and toxin use and maximize product use and love.” They produce their line using chrome-free and vegetable tanned leathers, recycled materials of all sorts (from rubber to old quilts and parachutes), and pure latex soling materials.

Terra Plana has also debuted a more eco-conscious leather product called E-leather. It’s a ‘re-woven’ blend of leather and textile fibers practically indistinguishable from good quality leather. E-Leather is produced with closed loop water usage and best practice pollution prevention methods. These people clearly care about crafting beautiful fashion statements using only the most modern and sustainable methods possible.

And how do they look? So, so hot! Whether you’re in Milano, Madrid, or the Mid-West these unique sneaks and heels will be turning heads. Priced from $50-300, a pair of Terra Plana’s is a worthwhile investment in a company that’s setting the bar for eco-conscious manufacturing, as well as your wardrobe.

If you want to check out a sneak peak of Terra Plana 2008, go to smartplanet.com for a look at the super-sexy strappy heels for Spring.