Australian footwear retailer Nelson Made will launch a new capsule in late September 2022 with bio (plant-based) and recycled leather.
Featuring an assortment of slides, sandals and heels from circular materials, the new ‘Today Evergreen’ capsule continues the brand’s progress towards sustainable footwear.
The plant-based leathers include Mylo - a mushroom-derived leather made from mycelium; Vegea - made in Italy from the discarded remains of harvested grapes including the skins, stems and seeds; and Desserto – a durable material developed in Mexico and made from the fibrous membrane of pricky pear cactus.
As well as bio leathers, the new capsule will include Nelson Made’s certified recycled leather.
CEO and founder Jamie Nelson said the bio and recycled leathers will reduce landfill, minimise energy and water consumption, and avoid the use of harmful chemicals that are often deployed during the virgin leather tanning process.
“Our recycled leather speaks to conscious creation, and ultimately, the future of fashion,” Nelson said. “It offers the same luxuriously soft and breathable qualities as virgin leather, sans the associated environmental impact. Furthermore, it’s circular, meaning that it can be recycled indefinitely.”
“Establishing the label and aligning this collection to my personal values has been a dream come true.”
Speaking on the plant-ased leathers, Nelson said the newly introduced material is “truly circular.”
“Bypassing the cattle industry avoids greenhouse emissions, deforestation, animal welfare issues, and drastically reduces water and chemical usage,” Jamie said.
Trained in the craft of shoemaking at Cordwainers, London College of Fashion, Nelson had secured her base in Melbourne. Having garnered valuable design experience with top Australian brands, she began to envision a footwear label built on a foundation of transparency, sustainability, and ethical manufacturing.
Nelson Made was then founded in 2018, with a small collection of flat sandals, handcrafted in Nelson’s solarpowered Melbourne studio. As the business expanded, new styles were introduced, and a portion of the production was assigned to an offshore, ethically accredited, family-run manufacturer.
The new ‘Today Evergreen’ capsule features set-back block heels, square toe lines and ‘barely-there’ straps.
The “desk-to-dinner” range is available in sizes 35-42. It will launch late September 22.