Etiko Sneakers: It's only fair

Organic or Fairtrade footwear might not be something we think about, and if we do, it probably resembles wooden sandals made out of Bamboo or a cotton slipper. You don't think of anything modern or anything young people would want to wear. But! Alas! I have found "normal" footwear that is sustainable, fairtrade and organic.
Etiko is a company in Australia that sells Fairtrade Footwear, T-Shirts, Underwear and Sports Balls. The T-Shirts and underwear are made from Organic Cotton, and some of the footwear even uses Organic Cotton to make the canvas.
They have sneakers - Both low-cuts and high-tops - and Alpargatas.
For more information on the brand and their projects click here.
For stockists in New Zealand, please click Here and select New Zealand.

If you are hesitant of buying shoes online, they do have stockists in New Zealand. The easiest one for me to get to was The Cruely Free Shop on Karangahape Road, here in Auckland, so I got a lift from the SO while he was going to his next job and went to check them out. My current work shoes have fallen apart (Quite literally) so it was time to buy a new pair of shoes!
Being restricted to black only, my options were cut back to the simple low-cut or high-cut sneakers... made easier by the fact that they only had high-tops at the moment. So, High-tops it was and here they are!

Etiko High-Top Sneakers, RRP - 90AUD from Etiko.com.au ($150 NZD At the Cruelty Free Shop)

So what are they made of?
The soles are made from latex which is farmed sustainable at farms that are FSC Certified (Which means the rubber is made from tapped trees, not chemicals), the canvas and laces are made from organic cotton and dyed using PCP and AZO free dyes. They are 100% vegan and even come in a funky box that is made from 100% consumer waste!

To some, spending $150 on shoes might seem too much. But considering my sweat-shop-produced, unsustainable Nike Sneakers cost $199.99... $150 is worth it. It's all in how you look at it.
In choosing to pay a little more, I'm giving people in factories a fair wage, I'm promoting products produced with less chemicals and I'm promoting sustainability.
It's all about what you want to get from your shopping experience, which is up for you to decide.
We all have a choice where we spend our money and what kind of behaviour from companies that we would like to promote.

I'm looking forward to showing these babies off for the next couple of weeks at work and to friends and trying to spread the idea that organic and fairtrade doesn't always mean Hippy Slippers when it comes to footwear!