The selection of ethical brands

by Cyrielle MAINI January 15, 2021

You may be wondering how the ethical brands referenced on Zebra Vegan Shop are chosen. A big part of my job is to investigate, in order to find you great responsible brands that offer stylish vegan shoes and/or bags . Several criteria are taken into account in the choice of the collections that I offer you. You have to be aware that it is very difficult for small brands to be 100% perfect. Above all, they do their best and are in an honest and transparent approach. I explain to you what are the important elements that guide my line of conduct in the choice of an ethical brand and collections.

1 – Aesthetics

It is unthinkable for me to present you with a product that I do not find beautiful and that I cannot imagine wearing myself! Above all, it must please me aesthetically so that I then want to delve into the ethical aspects that characterize it. I am therefore first sensitive to the design, the colors, the feel, the finishes and the qualitative aspect.

The primary purpose of shoes is to protect our feet, but if it can enhance them, that's even better, right? Personally, I think that shoes have the magical power to make us feel good! Wearing a beautiful pair on our feet can have a positive impact on our mood and our day!
The expression “being comfortable in your own skin” is full of meaning!

ethical vegan sneakers

2 – Vegan materials

Animal welfare being a subject that is particularly close to my heart, I choose ethical brands that do not use any material of animal origin and I do not deviate from this rule. They are certified Vegan by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) which is a non-profit association dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals .

This therefore guarantees that the products are free of animal leather , and are free of glue containing fish derivatives. This is often the type of glue used to glue shoe soles for example.

3 - European manufacturing

It is important for me to favor made in Europe , and even better made in France . This guarantees that the products are manufactured in countries where there is labor legislation, where workers' rights are respected. In addition, the environmental impact being an important criterion to take into account, local manufacturing partly avoids the pollution caused by the transport of goods.

Here is the artisanal and family manufacturing workshop of the Nae brand in Portugal:

Only one brand is not European but South African, it is Sealand Gear that I discovered during a trip. Their approach is so honorable on all environmental and societal aspects, that it took over. I invite you to get to know this brand of eco-responsible backpacks better.

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

4 – The human aspect

I enjoy selecting "small" brands, by which I mean on a human scale . These are often brands that have a nice 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 relational side is very important. The fact of having had good contact with my interlocutors plays a lot in my decision to collaborate or not with a brand (if I have a bad feeling I don't follow up). We communicate a lot by email, phone or video, and I find that there is often a lot of solidarity and goodwill between entrepreneurs committed to ethical fashion .

The human aspect is at the heart of these brands also through the manufacturing method which is most often artisanal. Either made by small independents, such as for example the Atelier Inua , whose bags are handmade by the founder, either in small factories with traditional know-how and not large production lines.

For example, the Spanish brand Vesica Piscis has its own manufacturing workshop:

5 – Environmental protection

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

Use of eco-responsible materials as much as possible:

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

- Alter-leather made from plants or fruit

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

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

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

- Natural or recycled rubber for shoe soles

Reduction of waste due to packaging:

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

- The Beflamboyant brand sends the pairs of sneakers in a reusable burlap bag that is put directly into the shipping box. No box within another box, within 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 plants a tree for every pair of vegan sneakers sold thanks to the One Tree Planted organization

- Vesicapiscis donates 1.5% of its turnover to the animal protection organization Libera .

6 – Fair and affordable prices

Ethical fashion should not be reserved for a minority. Price should not be a barrier to responsible consumption. European manufacturing, small-scale, sustainable production and the quality materials used mean that the price of these products is higher than that of fast fashion brands.

Let's not lie to ourselves, it's often the wallet that decides! I am well aware that this remains a significant budget and I make sure to choose ethical brands that practice fair prices and are accessible to the greatest number, I am not aiming for a luxury target.

That's why when Stella McCartney contacted me to sell her vegan shoe designs on Zebra Vegan Shop, I said to her: "No Stella! I'm sorry, your shoes are incredible but seriously who can afford a pair for €600?"
Of course I'm kidding! What are the chances that Stella McCartney will beg me to reference her creations?! We have the right to dream, right?

So now you know everything about the important values that guide me so that Zebra Vegan Shop brings together beautiful ethical brands . I hope to prove to you that fashion and ethics can go well together !