The selection of ethical brands

You may be wondering how the selected ones are chosen ethical brands referenced on Zebra Vegan Shop. A large part of my work consists of investigating, to uncover for you of owls Responsible brands that offer shoes and/or some vegan bags stylish. Several criteria come into play in the choice ofthe collections I offer you. It should be understood that it is very difficult for small brands to be 100 % perfect. Above all, they do their best and are din an honest and transparent approach. I will explain which are the key factors that guide my approach in choosing a ethical brand and collections.

1 – Aesthetics

It’s unthinkable for me to present a product to you that I don’t find beautiful and couldn’t imagine wearing myself ! Above all, it has to appeal to me aesthetically so that I then feel like digging deeper into the ethical aspects that define it. So I’m first and foremost drawn to the design, in the colors, to the touch, with finishes and in terms of quality.

The primary purpose of shoes is to protect our feet, but if they can make them look even better, that’s even better, right ? Personally, I think that the shoes have the Magic power to make us feel good ! Wear a beautiful pair on your feet can have a positive impact on our mood and our day!
The expression “ feeling good in your own skin ” is full of meaning ! 

2 – Vegan materials

The Animal welfare being a subject particularly close to my heart, I choose brands éthiques that use no materials of animal origin, and I do not make exceptions to this rule. They are PETA-certified vegan (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) which is a non-profit organization dedicated to  establish and protect the rights of all animals. 

That therefore guarantees that the products are without animal leather, and are free from glue containing fish derivatives. This is often the type of glue used to attach the soles of shoes, for example.

European manufacturing

90% of the items offered on Zebra Vegan Shop are made in Europe. On each product page, I indicate the country of manufacture.

4 – The human aspect

I enjoy selecting " small " brands, by that I mean human-sized. These are often brands that have a pretty story, with entrepreneurs who are personally committed to the animal and/or environmental cause and who put a lot of themselves into their projects.

The relationship side is very important. Having had good contact with the people I speak with plays a big part in my decision to collaborate with a brand or not (if I get a bad feeling, I don’t take it any further). We communicate a lot by email, phone, or video call, and I find that there is often a great deal of solidarity and kindness between committed entrepreneurs to a ethical fashion.

The human element is at the heart of these brands, also through the manufacturing process, which is most often handcrafted. Whether made by small independent makers, such as theIkigai Workshop,, whose bags are handmade by the founder, either in of small factories with  traditional craftsmanship and not large production lines.

For example, The Spanish brand Vesica Piscis has its own manufacturing workshop for sneakers vegan  :

5 – Protecting the environment

Protecting our planet is one of the major challenges of our time, and brands athiques the ones I choose have understood this well  : they seek to reduce their Environmental impact through various actions :

• Use of eco-friendly materials as much as possible :

- Natural materials (such as the cork, linen, the piñatex)

- Alternative leather plant-based or fruit-based

- Oeko-Tex certified materials, guaranteeing that there are no harmful substances.

- Organic cotton : GOTS certification (Global Organic Textile Standard)

- Recycled polyester and cotton : GRS certification (Global Recycled Standard)

- Natural or recycled rubber for shoe soles

• Reduction in waste due to packaging :

The brand Vesicapiscis Adidas has designed shoe boxes whose size has been reduced to the minimum, and they are made from recycled cardboard.

- The brand Beflamboyant ships pairs of sneakers in a reusable jute bag placed directly in the shipping box. No box inside another box, inside another box…

• Committed to Environmental and animal causes :

- Flamingo’s life is a partner of the Waste Free Oceans association, which collects plastic waste from the oceans and then recycles it.

- Beflamboyant plant a tree for every pair of vegan sneakers sold thanks to the association One Tree Planted organization

- Vesicapiscis donates 1,5 % of its revenue to the organization of animal welfare Libera.

6 – Fair and affordable prices

The ethical fashion must not be reservede to a minority. Land the price should not be an obstacle to responsible consumption. European manufacturing, thoughtful small-batch production, and quality materials who are The materials used make the price of these products higher than at fast-fashion retailers. 

On ne va pas kid ourselves, it’s often the wallet that decides ! I’m fully aware that this is still a significant budget, and I make sure to choose brands éthiques who practice prices right and accessible to the widest possible audience, I’m not targeting a luxury market.

It's why when Stella McCartney contacted me so I could sell their models of vegan shoes on Zebra Vegan Shop, I said to her : « No Stella ! I'm sorry, your shoes are incredible, but seriously, who can afford a pair at 600€ ? »
Of course I'm kidding ! What are the chances that Stella McCartney begs me to list her creations?! We're allowed to dream, right ?
 

You now know everything about the important values tguide me so that Zebra Vegan Shop groups of beautiful ethical brands. I hope to prove to you that fashion and ethics can go hand in hand !