Summer is officially less than 10 days away and that means sundresses and sandals. We had the opportunity to feature British luxury designer vegan footwear brand, Beyond Skin in Deliberately Considerate. The quality, designs, and dedication to creating one of kind vegan shoes sets them apart from other shoe brands. Take a moment to read the interview below and learn all about their process, inspiration, and ways they create vegan yet sustainable styles.
How has the quality of eco-friendly fabrics and “genuinely not leather”
evolved since the inception of the brand?
When Beyond Skin was founded in 2001, the offerings of eco-friendly materials was rather sparse. We were living in the frightening shadow of 80’s PVC shoes which fueled the popular misconceptions of faux leather, of which they are not breathable, not eco-friendly and of cheap quality. Nowadays most leather skins are super cheap as they are sourced from the developing world where regulations regarding leather production, effluent and environmental policies are virtually non-existent.
The technology of synthetics today is super advanced. All our Italian made faux leather and suede cost considerably more than most skins and are of remarkable quality. There are now many companies experimenting with recycled PET plastic. All of our footwear linings are now made from 100% recycled PU with a vegetable polymer coating. We also use an eco faux suede alternative called Dinamica®. This recycled faux suede is featured in our current collections and utilized as much as possible throughout our range. Our philosophy is that we are ‘genuinely not leather’ and our styling has a vintage, feminine design. We want to demonstrate that vegan shoes can be fashionable and comfortable.
Quality is imperative for us, as we want to provide non-leather shoes, which are well-made, in contrast to the cheap PVC shoes that are so readily and cheaply available on the market. All of our shoes are currently made in Spain. It is important to us that our shoes are made by workers who are receiving a fair wage, in decent working conditions.
Please walk us through the design and style process- inspiration for
each collection and season.
Each season we visit a fabric trade fair in Italy to source new materials and keep exploring what is new to the market and to see what is on trend for the upcoming season.
We then start a mood board and a color board to get our creative juices flowing! We are always inspired by all things vintage. Frequently we have a few images of vintage shoes of which we draw ideas. We normally create a collection of up to 30 designs in different color options. Oftentimes when the samples arrive things will need tweaking with the design. If fabrics do not perform as we anticipated, we then go back to the drawing board.
As the spring/summer 2019 season is near, what should we expect from the new collection?
Spring/Summer 2019 collections will showcase an array of fresh pastels and pops of bold brights, which reboot core items such as the mule and the court shoe.
While flats and kitten heels remain commercial staples, high heels are an added statement to our range. We are offering a selection of block heels, slingbacks and ankle straps, which appeal to the continued trend for classic, formal style, while strappy barely there uppers tap into the renewed appreciation for party dressing.
Punchy brights enliven summer occasions with riot red, psychedelic pink, sunny yellow and cooled turquoise. As always with summer we are using a strong selection of metallics; from classic silvers and golds to trendy brights.
How do you ensure ethical standards in your factories in Spain?
We visit our factories each season in Spain, speak with them on a weekly basis and have strict guidelines of which they adhere including working conditions, wages, hours and safety. The EU rules and regulations are a helpful guide.
What challenges have you faced over the years to market and expand the brand?
Like most small businesses we have had our fair share of challenges. We were ahead of the times, which made our life slightly harder as we had to literally carve out a new market.
Additionally, in the beginning, finding high quality leather alternatives and other sustainable materials was one of our biggest challenges. This has thankfully since changed considerably and there are now tremendous advances in sustainable materials.
Our largest challenge however, was finding suitable, reliable manufacturers who could successfully create high quality non-leather shoes. We have in the past, met with countless factories that have been unable to work with us due to the materials we use. It is paramount to us that we do not in any way sacrifice quality or style, which is integral to our brand.
How did Actor and Activist Natalie Portman become introduced to the
brand?
We were actually approached by a stylist for Vogue when they were shooting a cover story featuring Natalie Portman. She then called us in for a film V for Vendetta and ultimately chose to wear Beyond Skin to the Oscars and the Golden Globes. As you can image this helped to put us on the map! Once you have a breakthrough like that it makes the path a little easier as people are more willing to listen.
Can you share with us a tidbit of what is on the horizon for the Beyond
Skin brand?
We are going to dabble in Men’s footwear at the end of this year…
Currently, Beyond Skin is having a fabulous sale with beautiful sandal, flats, and sandal options for the summer! Click through here to see the styles.
