NEW YORK, July 4 — Is the future of fashion to be found in what’s on our plates? In recent months, brands have been turning to grapes, apples, corn and even mushrooms to make the materials that will one day fill our wardrobes. Now, a new sneaker brand named MoEa is getting into the game with a first bio-sourced and sustainable collection made with fruits and plants. Way to get your five a day this summer!
We all know that we’re supposed to eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. But what we didn’t know, was that fashion brands would one day apply the same logic to their own creations. As a result, at a time when the industry is trying to reduce its environmental impact, consumers can choose a variety of clothes and shoes made using fruit, vegetables, plants and other natural riches from our beautiful planet. While many designers are currently focusing on a particular ingredient to offer vegan and sustainable collections, a new brand is launching a whole range of sneakers developed from a variety of fruit and plants.
For its launch, MoEa is offering only eco-friendly, vegan and recyclable sneakers made from bio materials in turn composed of 49 per cent plants or fruit — namely apple fibre, grape fibre, pineapple fibre, cactus and corn. The brand says the plants are blended with stabilisers — organic cotton, bio-PU, recycled plastic — and the rest of the shoe is made from recycled bamboo, recycled rubber, recycled wood fibre and organic cotton.
“We all love sneakers. They’re comfortable to wear and usable for a variety of different occasions. Unfortunately, they are also contributing negatively to the planet,” explains Achille Gazagnes, founder and CEO of MoEa in a statement. “That’s why we’ve launched MoEa — to create sneakers that offer the same level of style and comfort you’d expect to see in your favorite leather pair, whilst ensuring that the planet isn’t some sort of a meaningless afterthought and that animals aren’t treated with cruelty.”
And, to give shoppers plenty of choice, MoEa has assigned a colour to each plant. Initially, the brand is offering two sneaker colourways per plant: One with a white base and accents in the color associated with the plant in question, and a second, single-color version. Available for pre-order on the Kickstarter platform, the sneakers start from €89, or approximately US$105. The first shipments are due at the beginning of October. — ETX Studio
