SYDNEY: Eco shoe label Terra Plana has established roots in Australia with its first retail store.
Opened this week in Newtown, the store stocks shoes for men, women and children which are created with the environment and health in mind.
The UK based brand has also launched an Australian transactional website.
Terra Plana constructs shoes with lightness, anatomic design and durability at the forefront of design. Recycled elements feature in every shoe, including the sole, uppers and trim. Used PET bottles become mesh and recycled rice husks the soling materials. Recycled leather and recycled foam are used for footbeds.
Key to its offering is a lightweight shoe called VivoBarefoot, which is designed to strengthen foot muscles and correct posture. It features a very thin, three millimetre sole, anti-bacterial moisture wicking lining and a suede or leather upper.
Terra Plana has stores in London, New York, Vienna and Ljubljiana and wholesales to over 30 countries.
The brand was awarded an Observer Ethical Fashion Award in 2007 and also the Drapers Ethical Footwear Retailer of the Year in 2008.