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Every fabric is sustainable: organic cotton, hemp, linen and even the sole is made with plastic waste recovered from Portuguese beaches. The Zouri shoes are a role model in circular economy, and in a year alone reached a 200-thousand-euro turnover. Present in 32 countries, they received praise at Neonyt in Berlin, but the founder Adriana Mano is straightforward: “the focus is to finance social causes”.
The original idea, as the raw material later on, came to life at the beach, where in April 2018 the founder of the brand and a team of 600 volunteers managed to collect one and a half tonnes of plastic that gave way to thousands of soles, after crushing and pressing the plastic.
After having the sole, the remaining raw materials were selected according to environmental impact. The uppers are made with several fibres, such as organic cotton, linen, hemp or pinnatex, a fibre made from pineapple leaves. “All the raw materials are certified, made in Europe and produced according to fair trade rules”, explains Adriana Mano. “There’s no point in respecting the planet while disrespecting the people working on the other side of the world”, she adds.
The initiative has received support from the community through a crowdfunding project that gathered 10 thousand euro, and in December 2018 Zouri unveiled its first collection. Just in its first year the company reached 200 thousand euro in sales, mostly through the online channels where it reaches 32 countries, but also in concept stores, vegan and eco shoe shops, hotels and even at the Lisbon Oceanarium. In the meantime, Zouri already opened a store in its own name, in the city centre of Braga.