Simple shoes sent us a pair of their EcoS EcoSneaks shoes to feature on the site. If you are not familiar with Simple, here’s what they are all about :
With all the over-built, over-hyped products out there, it’s pretty hard to find sustainable shoes that you can live with. So we started Simple, your stereotypical, anti-stereotype brand offering good shoes and a big dose of reality.
About a gazillion pairs later… give or take a few… we’ve managed to learn a few things. Well, actually a lot of things. And none more important than this: HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them. That means finding more sustainable ways of doing business so we can make a gazillion more.
Which pretty much is where we are today… at the crossroads of here and now, aware of our responsibility to the planet while trying to pay the bills. The nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.
They use bamboo, organic cotton, recycle car and bike tires, hemp and other environment friendly materials.
Check out the specs of the EcoS EcoSneaks:
# The men’s ecoS contains no animal byproducts or even regular animal products. This shoe is vegan friendly and veggie friendly.
# Hemp uppers
# Yes, the sidewall of the ecoS is made from a recycled bike tire
# Organic cotton linings
# Recycled PET (that’s recycled plastic bottles) laces
# PET pedbeds
# Yes, that outsole used to be a car tire
# 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms
I’ve been showing off the shoes to people, some liked the style, some didn’t care for it, but once I told them that the shoes are made out recycled materials, they all were surprised on how good they look. Since I’m used to wearing Vans, these shoes have the same feel, they have the flat sole and there’s no air cushions or gels or any of that over hyped ‘hi-tech’ stuff. I find them very comfortable to wear and to ride with.
Prices are reasonable as well, they range from $60 to $90 and they have lots of styles for men, women and children.
Check out www.SimpleShoes.com for more information.
Popularity: 19% [?]
Bike Commuter Essentials at PricePoint.com
8 responses so far ↓
1 RL // May 6, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I am a shoe kinda guy, and those are awesome! I love the styling and colors. Oh and that eco friendly stuff is pretty legit too.
2 Ghost Rider // May 6, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Hey, I like those too! Are the soles stiff enough for decent cruising on a bike?
3 Moe // May 6, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Well, I rode a fixie with them today, so I’ll say they are stiff enough to cruise.
4 meli // May 7, 2008 at 10:00 am
simple shoes are great. I bought some clark-ish looking half booties and are the best shoe I have for standing for a few hours or avoid getting ‘museum feet’ been eyeing the ankle strap mary-janes for awhile though
5 Lance // May 7, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Great find Moe! I’m going to have to order my next shoes from there. Macbeth makes some eco-friendly kicks that look cool too, although they don’t have the cool tire treads like these…awesome!
The less leather out there the better. Being eco-friendly means being animal friendly(not just dogs and cats) too!
6 Dan // May 8, 2008 at 3:59 am
Those are some great looking shoes. I ordered a pair last month. Unfortunately, they don’t sell wide sizes like I need, and the normal width didn’t work out.
Hey Simple, could you offer wide sizes ?
7 Michelle // May 8, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Dan, have you checked @ Vegetarian Shoes and Bags? Its a great vegan shoe site!
8 VegHead // May 8, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I ordered a pair of their Sno-Tire Hemp sneaks about a month ago, very comfortable and they fit great. Haven’t rode with them on but did play ping-pong in them..lol.
Right on Lance and Michelle!
BTW…Sports Basement carries a few Simple styles in their stores also for anyone living in the Bay area.
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