New Brand: SAYE

Text: Sebastian Nicu

2020 brought us a lot of new problems. But we shouldn’t lose sight of a certain omnipresent crisis: the climate change. Buying stuff is pretty cool, but sometimes your conscience comes in and asks you if you really need the hundredth pair of plastic sneakers just because they wink at you from the sales rack. One thing is clear: Sustainability is so hot right now. Big brands are starting to refurbish old jackets, we stroll around flea markets and recycle. But you can also help our planet without having to wear the worn out kicks of grandpa Günther from Idar-Oberstein or even looking like a douchebag.

The times when organic, sustainable fashion had to be ugly are finally over. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, the team behind SAYE launched a line of timeless sneakers that will make every country boy’s mouth water. The terms recycling, upcycling and organic are not just random marketing phrases for the people behind SAYE, but rather the foundation of their brand. The shoes are manufactured in Felgueiras in the north of Portugal. SAYE actively fights against the miserable conditions in Asian sweatshops: child labour, poor wages, health risks. You name it.

When choosing their partner, You Shoes, SAYE attached great importance to the fair treatment of their employees. This does not only include an adequate salary. Equal rights, work-life balance and paid holidays are also part of the factory’s daily routine. In order to keep their carbon footprint as low as possible, SAYE works with suppliers from Alicante in the selection of its materials. This makes the production of the shoes more efficient and faster. How do I know that? The company plays with open cards and transparently reveals all possible data and information to potential customers on its website.

You can probably guess it already, but SAYE doesn’t just choose any materials from their surrounding area. Quality is key. After all, your new shoes should make you happy for as long as possible. The leather, which comes from happy European cows, has been certified by the Leather Working group (LWG). SAYE only uses material that is left over from meat production anyway. Most vegan leather alternatives are still made of plastic and therefore not degradable. On top of that, however, there is also the “Not just Vegan” range made from recycled vegan leather. In order to do something good for the environment, the laces, lining, insole and box are mostly made of recycled materials.

Believe it or not, but SAYE goes even one step further towards sustainability. For every pair of shoes they sell, the young company plants two trees in Australia, the Amazon, India and Zambia. So do yourself and our planet a favour and get your pair of SAYE sneakers from HHV.