Vivobarefoot is tightening its sustainability focus.
The London-based minimalist-footwear company, a pioneer of the barefoot-running movement, announced Monday its plans to base future collections around three material groups: bio or plant-based polymers, recycled components and natural materials.
Vivobarefoot says it believes this decision will “help create transparency and simplification” as it barrels toward its goal of using 90 percent sustainable materials by 2020 and 100 percent by 2021.
“We are far from perfect, but we are committed and excited to take further steps on our long-term sustainability journey towards the goal of creating fully sustainable shoes that are healthier for you and healthier for the planet,” Asher Clark, co-founder and design director at Vivobarefoot, said in a statement. “We are always searching for better materials and using the three new material groups as a focus helps us position the right materials in the right place to deliver the performance, durability and ultimately to have as little impact as possible.”
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To kick-start its “natural” range, Vivobarefoot has teamed up with the Woolmark Company, a group that promotes Australian wool as a luxury product, to clad two of the former’s performance silhouettes in gold-rated leather, Tencel and merino wool.
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“The more we learned about the incredible characteristics of wool, we quickly realized we needed to work with the global authority on wool, the Woolmark Company,” Clark said. “The combination of the merino wool, which is an engineered knit against the skin for amazing thermal regulation, was teamed up with Tencel, made from eucalyptus-tree pulp as the top layer that helps enhance the durability and overall life span of the shoe while keeping things natural.”
To inform its “bio” line, Vivobarefoot will extend efforts behind its recently launched Primus Lite II Bio. Billed as one of the world’s first plant-based performance shoes, the sneaker features a thermoplastic polyurethane derived from corn, natural rubber and harvested algae.
The brand’s “recycled” range is already well underway, with styles such as the Primus Lite, Primus Trail, Magna Trail and Stealth composed of recycled PET spun from post-consumer plastic bottles.
Certainly consumers are looking to clothe—and shoe—themselves in ways that are better for themselves and the planet, Clark said.
“In a world where people are paying very close attention to what they put in their bodies, they are now rightly looking more closely at what they are putting on their bodies and the effects that those choices have on their health and the health of the planet,” he added. “This is really exciting, and we hope to do everything we can to help drive the sustainability agenda with the help of our consumers, collaborators, partners and fellow brands as we continue on our minimal-shoemaking journey.”
The new styles will be available for preview this week at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver, Colo. The new Vivobarefoot x Woolmark styles will be available online beginning February 2020.