Olsen Haus: Vegan Shoes for Consious Fashionistas

Yes, vegan shoes. Sounds strange, I know, but cruelty-free shoes should have a prominent place in every eco-fashionista’s closet. Working from a viewpoint of universal truth, respect for all beings and with a dedication to the expression of truth in the material world, Olsen Haus creates good looking footwear that keep your conscience clear. Products are made of non-animal materials, in sample rooms and factories that are personally checked for ethical practices & environmental impact. Olsen Haus is and has always been 100% vegan.

Spokesmodel vegans Marissa Miller Wolfson of kindgreenplanet.org & Chloe Jo Berman of girliegirlarmy.com

Spokesmodel vegans Jenith Mateja of olsenHaus & Samantha Ragsdale of farmsanctuary.com

The concept of Olsen Haus is to showcase alternative materials that are clever, sophisticated, fun and on trend, while promoting consciousness through example and education. What the goods are made of, why, and attention to the impact on the environment, animals and people. In addition, Olsen Haus works to change the face of what a vegan person looks like. It is not the 60s, it is hip and stylish to be knowledgeable about what is going on, and work to make a difference, without sacrifices. It is all about style, truth, and the shift in consciousness to a new luxury.

There’s nothing crunchy granola about these heels.

Stylish black cruelty-free shoes.

Designer Elizabeth Olsen has been a vegetarian for nineteen years, and a vegan for two. Ever since co-founding an animal rights club in High School, she has been an outspoken advocate against the use of animals for food, clothing, experimentation, and entertainment, as well as for environmental and social justice issues. The livestock/leather industry is the largest contributor to global warming, land devastation, environmental pollution, usage of valuable natural resources and water supply contamination. The leather industry is more harmful to the environment than the textiles, medicine, fertilizer, and paper industries. It is a 1.5 billion dollar industry that directly relates to abuse and death of 100 million animals from factory farms and slaughter houses.

Designer Elizabeth Olsen

Olsen has worked in Malaysia, Italy, South American and Asia, she has been a Creative Director at Tommy Hilfiger and designed for Calvin Klein, Bulga, Nine West, Jodi Arnold MINT, and many others. She has worked as a stylist for print and ad-campaigns, commercials and films, for clients like Nike, Nike Goddess, Nissan, Universal Studios, IBM, and Corbis. The company name pays homage to Elizabeth’s Nordic heritage by combining her last name Olsen with the German word for house.

Fun colorful and distinct heels.

It is easy to forget that the production of any leather product requires a massive amount of resources. From start to finish, the amount of energy required to create a leather hide is 20 times greater than the production of a synthetic material. The production of leather requires the transportation of feed to animals, removal of waste, electricity in housing facilities, electricity for operations and killing, pesticide use, vaccine and antibiotic use, transportation to remove carcasses and transportation of pelts. Then transportation of the hide to a tannery which involves sorting, soaking, fleshing, tanning, wringing, drying, kicking, cleaning, trimming, buffing, drying and finishing. Lastly the hide is transported to the garment maker, then a to wholesaler, and so on. In addition, hundreds of thousands of acres of land are cleared for the raising of livestock.

Spokesmodel vegan Joshua Katcher of thediscerningbrute.com.

For the conscious man,

It is common sense. Leather is the hide of a dead animal and intended by nature to decompose. To prevent biodegrading hides for commercial use are treated with toxic chemicals, just some of which are hexavalent chromium salts, aniline, azo dyes, lead, cyanide, formaldehyde, tannins, solvents, and chlorophenols. These chemicals pollute the land, air and water supply. Groundwater samples collected near tanneries have indicated the presence of arsenic, chromium, lead, zinc, and total organic halides. Additional pollutants include protein, hair, salt, lime, sludge, sulfides and acids.

Vegetable-tanned leather is often touted as being less harmful to the environment. However, Bill Bartholomew, a representative for The Leather Group at The World Shoes Accessories eco-Ethics Conference, admitted that “eco-friendly” vegetable tanning is actually just as polluting as chrome tint.

Spokesmodel vegan Josie Lorraine of theshowroomfourhundred.com

Because the future belongs to them.

Olsen Haus uses alternative, sustainable and renewable plant-based and man-made, non-animal materials such as: ultra suede, organic cotton, canvas, nylon, velvet, linen, cork, and a synthetic eco-lining. No leather, fur, wool or silk is ever used. Soles are a composite of rubber, glues are rubber-based and vegan, paint is vegan and non-toxic. Nothing is tested on animals. Most synthetics available today are flexible, breathable, and biodegradable. In addition, alternative materials are consistent in size, shape and thickness and therefore the entire piece is used, unlike a leather, where much of the raw material is wasted.

While many shoes kill, pollute, and destroy lives and ecosystems on their journey to your feet, we recognize these destructive production practices and do not consider them ‘business as usual’. We at Olsen Haus believe these processes can evolve toward a respect for animals, ecosystems and people.

Tread lightly on the earth.