Zoe & Zac: An Eco Shoe Line

I have a lot of issues with my feet. I'm a little more than 5'6'' and they're a whopping size 10. Most of the time when I go to the size 10 section, the options are slim. All of a sudden the cute stuff I saw on the size 7 rack has been relinquished to bright pink rhinestone heels and strange assortments of wedding shoes. Now that I'm vegan, I'll often see a pair of shoes that I love and then quickly realize they're made out of leather. And since the size 10 rack is bad enough, I'm pretty much out of options at that point. Even when I find pleather shoes, if they're closed toe, it's a no-go. I'm slightly ashamed to share with you all that pleather makes my feet sweat. And when they sweat, my shoes become horrendously smelly and completely unwearable. I think it's safe to say I have major shoe issues.

Recently, I wrote a post about Olsen Haus and how awesome her shoes are but how I couldn't bring myself to buy them. And as much as I love what she's doing, I'm glad I didn't. Payless has an eco, vegan line called Zoe & Zac that's really adorable, cheap, and doesn't make my feet sweat.

You should definitely check out this line. Their shoes are made of organic cottons [[which thankfully, breath well, heh]], 20% recycled rubber, and nickle-free metal and hemp. I'm a huge fan of the ballet flat [[at my height wearing heels makes me feel like a giant]] -- which is usually made of leather or pleather, all bad things for me. This weekend I picked up their cotton black flats, the Snapdragon Ballet, for 10 dollars. They also have some cool wedges and interesting sandals, along with a line of accessories.

A lot of people are concerned about the hidden ecological costs of these shoes. Importing these shoes from China isn't great for the environment, true. And the fact that they can charge 10 dollars for these doesn't speak well for the manufacturing conditions. To this I say, I do what I can. I'll buy American when financially able, but until then I have to settle for the lesser of the evils.