Vegan On The Weekend: Eco-Friendly Shoes For The Weekend

Ecoshoes are in; and major companies (Payless, Keds) are launching lines of eco-friendly shoes. Being eco-friendly, most (perhaps all) are vegan. Most of the freshly-released ecoshoes are sneakers or sneaker-ish casual shoes. Great for weekends, though not so good for work -- perhaps good for walking to work, though.

Payless recently launched a new line of casual footwear (and bags and jewelry) made from materials like hemp, organic cotton, and water-based glues. The Zoe&Zac line was designed with help from eco-model Summer Rayne Oakes. It includes sandals, the right pictured wedges (which also come in a brown), skimmers, mary janes, and sneakers. The shoes range from $19.99 to $29.99; check out the collection here. Also, for every pair of Zoe&Zac shoes you buy between now and May 4, Payless will donate $1 to plant trees.

Keds also recently launched a line of eco-friendly shoes, titled its "Green Label." The Green Label includes Keds' classic lace-up in green, black, or white; and Keds' more-recent "moc" in tan, blue, or white (the blue is pictured left). The shoes are made from organic cotton and recycled rubber; the laces are made from recycled water bottles, which I think is the coolest feature of the shoes. The shoes are $55; find the entire collection here.

On a related note, on Earth Day (April 22), H&M is set to release a line of clothing made from recycled plastic bottles. Not quite sure how that will work, but I'm eager to see what they have to offer. And Loomstate, purveyors of expensive organic clothing, is teaming with Target to make a line of clothing aptly named Loomstate for Target. As with all "[fill in the blank] for Target," the line will run for a limited-time; it will include men's and women's casual clothes (jeans, dresses, swimwear). It debuts at Target this Sunday!