Green Schools Green Future is all about sustainable living and green technology. We encourage entrepreneurs with ideas for eco-friendly living. One such entrepreneur is Christale Earle, the brains behind Brave Soles, a sustainable fashion brand. They use upcycled tires to create trendy, handmade fashion footwear as well as accessories for both men and women.
It all started when Christale bought a pair of chunky leather boots. After a day in her closet, there was a noticeable chemical smell from the leather. She knew something wasn’t right. This got her thinking about the global supply chain and fast fashion. Later, she went as a volunteer to a local garbage dump in the Dominican Republic. There, she saw the damaging impact of garbage on the people and the environment. Determined to drive change, she decided to combine her interest in fashion with her passion for sustainability. In 2017, she founded Brave Soles. As a single mother and a social entrepreneur, she hopes this brand name can inspire people to see the power of their choices.
How Are Their Sandals Made?
Braves Soles uses upcycled tires and locally sourced leather for their sandals. This makes for less waste during production. What is the different between recycling and upcycling? Recycling is the process of turning items into new products. It helps reduce raw material consumption. Upcycling is a lot like recycling, but it converts old or discarded materials into something useful and often beautiful. Upcycling gives an item a new purpose without destroying its essence. When you recycle, you often make a new product of lower quality. With upcycling, you end up with high-quality items.
Brave Soles sandals are made from upcycled rubber tires found in garbage dumps and ditches in the Dominican Republic. Instead of letting the tires stay in dumps for centuries, the brand is giving them a new life. Decomposing tires release a lot of chemicals and toxins in the air.
The leather comes from a variety of sources. Some of it is upcycled from plane seats and some of are offcuts from custom furniture shops. The rest comes from a gold-certified tannery in the Dominican Republic. So far, Brave Soles has upcycled 1,474 tires. This is equal to keeping 170 cars off the road for a day and 245,072 hours of light bulb energy.
Their sandals also have a slightly raised heel for extra impact absorption. The gentle arch-support and the cushy foam core give your feet instant comfort. Even during long periods of walking, you won’t get pains or cramps. The brand also offers several sandals in a variety of colours, so you can style them with your clothes. You can wear these sandals every day, anywhere, and on different occasions.
Why Does Sustainable Fashion Matter?
Did you know that the fashion industry produces 10% of our total carbon emissions? The industry also consumes the second-most amount of water and pollutes oceans with microplastics. More shocking is the fact that only 1% of the unwanted products are recycled. Every second, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill. Up to 85% of textiles enter landfills each year. That is enough to fill the Sydney harbor.
What Braves Soles is doing is truly inspiring. It has a sustainable business model that we should all learn from.
Looking for new shoes for the summer and want to be environmentally-friendly? Buy Brave Soles sandals to look fabulous this summer and help support a female-owned, ethical, and globally inspired business.
Remember, our daily choices can have a huge impact on the environment and our future.
Help us raise a new generation of green leaders that will benefit our planet!
Sources:
https://bravesoles.life/
https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10
