Stiletto Jungle found the perfect neutral suede pumps for fall.
Allie is Wired has pictures of Keira Knightley’s new short hair style.
The Burberry Studded Handbag Trend on Bag Bliss
Embrace your animal instincts with this Longchamp bag at Bag Snob!
Bobbi Brown’s limited edition kohl eyeliner in Black Chocolate is the perfect blend of black and brown at Beauty Snob.
Coquette is mad for wedge heels and finds the best wedge boots under $150.
Fashion Pule Daily conducts a Q&A with Naya Shoes designer Kasey Gibbs
The Jet Set Girls attend the opening of the new Make Up For Ever Boutique in Soho!
KRISTOPHER DUKES is using MoroccanOil shampoo, conditioner and oil treatment .
Second City Style shares their picks for the top 10 fashion & beauty abominations of all time.
Shopping and Info wants the OTR Skinny Jeans worn by Whitney Port.
From faux fur to shearling, StyleBakery hunts down this season’s most stylish coats
The Beauty Stop shows how to get DIY leopard print nails.
The Shoe Goddess can’t wait to pair these Azzedine Alaia Lace-Up Ankle Boots with a pair of skinny leather pants!
eye4style feels like a woman, thanks to Thierry Mugler’s new fragrance Womanity.
October 8, 2010
Web Snob Links of the Week
October 5, 2010
Naya Q&A with Designer Kasey Gibbs
You probably remember that I’ve mentioned Naya before, the a new shoe line with a conscious, creating fashionable, eco-friendly styles that considers everything down tot the packaging of its products. I had the pleasure of interviewing the brand’s designer Kasey Gibbs, to find out more about the process of creating eco-friendly shoes, the brand’s mission, and future goals.
Fashion Pulse Daily: What is your personal experience with being eco-friendly, and what is your past design experience that brought you to Naya?
Kasey Gibbs: Supporting products that are gentle on the earth has always been important to me. My husband and I both make purchasing decisions based on whether or not a product’s packaging is renewable and try to compost and recycle our own trash as much as possible. I also only drive hybrids and can be seen around town in my Ford Fusion or Escape. There are many easy changes that each person can make, whether it’s not purchasing eggs in styrofoam containers or using paper instead of plastic bags at the grocery store.
The footwear industry has been creating eco-friendly shoes that were great for hiking or sitting by the campfire, but Naya understands that women want eco-friendly footwear that fits into more aspects of their life. Women have a desire to help the environment but they also want to express their femininity and style. The home goods industry has been “doing it right” for a while now. From bamboo flooring and sustainable glass to all the recyclable products – they made me see that products could be eco-friendly while still being beautiful. Observing the positive progress of the home goods industry, I was really inspired by the idea that it could be possible in footwear.
This is my first experience designing for an eco-friendly brand, though I have many years of experience in footwear design.
FPD: What was your biggest challenge in creating this line?
KG: The most challenging part about designing eco-friendly shoes was the paradigm switch or change in thought process we went through with our sources. However, it has completely changed the way we think about making shoes. We feel this will eventually be a big change for the entire industry if the consumer makes the choice to buy more stylish, comfortable, eco-friendly products. We know women want to look good, feel good and do good for themselves and the environment.
FPD: Can you tell me some of the key eco-friendly materials in the design?
KG: Naya chooses natural and earth-friendly materials whenever possible, including: vegetable-tanned leathers and linings, fabrics made with natural or recycled materials, foot beds containing natural cork, outsoles made with recycled materials, water-based cements, boxes made with 80 percent recycled paper pulp, soy-based inks and water-based glue.
Naya also reduces consumption by using recycled shoeboxes, reusable shoe bags, shoe forms made with recycled PET (recycled soda bottles) and creating earth-friendly ways to deliver our message.
FPD: Which style are you most excited about for fall?
KG: I love the Bakula, which goes with all of my favorite fall work wear. For the evening, I love Narubi in every color. It is perfect to wear with skinny jeans, leggings and short skirts. It’s so versatile it can be worn with the cuff down or up for that over-the-knee look that is so on trend for this fall.
FPD: I’d love to learn more about the process: finding these materials, manufacturing the shoes, what it was like producing eco-friendly shoes on a larger scale.
KG: Naya uses recycled content fabrics and boxes made with 80 percent recycled paper pulp. Naya shoes with a wedge heel are made from cork and recycled TPR, a material similar to rubber. Naya is also utilizing bamboo and leawood in many of our heels. Additionally, Naya utilizes scrap leather for linings which are part of Naya’s comfort promise, as they make the shoes feel smooth on the foot.
At Naya, our mission is to leave a gentler footprint on the planet and make eco-friendly choices wherever we can. Currently, we are making great strides in the use of eco-friendly materials and design elements, and this makes Naya’s overall carbon footprint smaller.
FPD: Ultimately, what would you like to achieve with Naya?
KG: We’re really pleased with the progress we have made so far as the first eco-friendly shoe line under Brown Shoe Company, Inc. We see this as a journey, with Naya as the first step. We’ve made a lot of progress in finding earth-friendly materials and components and we’re excited about the changes and our ability to make them affordable for women. We hope to generate as much awareness as possible about the importance of softening your global footprint.
FPD: For 2011, what can we look forward to? Will mens or other accessories be added to Naya?
We’re always looking for new earth-friendly initiatives that are important to Naya customers.. During April 2010, Naya partnered with Plant It 2020 for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. For every pair of Naya Shoes bought on shoes.com, a tree was planted. We met our goal of planting more than 5,000 trees in one month.
This fall we are launching a campaign called Renew Your Soles, in which women can return gently worn pairs of shoes to be donated to people in need or if the shoes are at the end of their lifetime they will be recycled. We will provide you more information on this campaign as soon as possible.
We are interested in expanding the Naya brand in the future, but for now, we are focusing solely on creating the highest quality earth-friendly footwear for women.
-Julia DiNardo
April 29, 2010
A Week After Earth Day, You Can Still Be Eco Chic: Brands to Know
Earth day may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be environmentally friendly and chic with your fashion-related options 364 days of the year! I recently attended a Robert Verdi Tweet This event entitled ‘Eco -Chic for Earth Day,’ and found out about some cool products that I had never heard of before! Here are my favorites, that I thought you’d like to know about:
Oboe Bags (pronounced oh-beau) -stands for ‘One Bag One Earth’, made of reclaimed, recycled materials, are re-usable, and can fold up super small! Bags start out at about $5, depending on color and print.
Sprout Watches these watches range from 80-86% eco-friendly, and include materials such as corn resin, recycled fibers, organic cotton, bamboo,and a mercury free battery. The coolest part – it’s biodegradable! Watches retail for about $30.
Green Planet Search You can buy acreage and view all of the vegetation and animals on the land — in a rainforest reserve! I may not be able to afford a square inch of land in NYC, but hey — at least I have a bit of rainforest to show off!
Essence of Vali Situated in the West Village, this brand takes aromatherapy to a whole new level — they are 100% natural and smell so great – terrific to mist in the air before you go to sleep!
Naya Shoes Made of recycled and sustainable materials, while maintaing a sense of style!