Amidala walks the walk as well as talks the talk. Portman, a longtime vegetarian, has teamed with the New York label Té Casan to design her own line of vegan-friendly footwear. She has long refused to wear animal products in either her personal life or on the red carpet and has previously touted the footwear made by fellow vegan-happy designer, Stella McCartney.
"As a vegan, it’s been challenging finding designer shoes made of alternative materials. This collection offers a great selection without compromising quality or style.”
As one of young Hollywood’s most respected actresses, Natalie Portman, Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actress, has many accomplishments to her credit - Harvard graduate, humanitarian and style icon. With her premiere collection for Té Casan, footwear designer can now be added to that list.
Portman, a vegetarian since age 8, noticed the conspicuous lack of animal-friendly footwear in the luxury designer marketplace. Té Casan, well-versed in recognizing and developing new talent, collaborated with Portman for her 100% vegan collection.
Beyond just lending her name to the collection, Portman worked closely with Té Casan throughout the entire development process to maintain consistent quality with an exceptional design aesthetic. Dazzling, playful and elegant, each shoe exudes the star’s own personal style - all with social consciousness. To that end Portman will donate 100% of her proceeds to various non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental preservation and animal rights."
Her vegan shoe collection:
More here.
They're not bad. Pretty basic, but the lines are nice and they don't look like cheap shoes.
[Photos: Courtesy of Elle.com]
31 comments:
"they don't look like cheap shoes"
That's probably because they aren't cheap (or even inexpensive). With the exception of the little ballerina slippers, there's not a shoe in the collection that's not regularly priced under $200.
Not in my budget.
Out of my budget too but props to Natalie for actually living out her convictions. well done.
The shoes are cute, I would buy them if I had the money =)
P.S. She looks hot in that pic with the black dress + red shoes.
Hmmmm..... hate to say this, but I can get similar shoes at Target.
Hurrah!
I'm all for green and all, but something I refuse is to use non-leather shoes..... (except the occasional flip-flops) and paying that much for it???? no way!
Does anyone know what they are actually made out of?
"Kanani said...
Hmmmm..... hate to say this, but I can get similar shoes at Target.
Hurrah!"
But they're not Vegan :)
I like the shoes a lot and it's nice to know that they're for a good cause.
Vegan friendly? That means they are made of plastic. We all know how environmentally friendly and green that is, right?
Gorgeous Thing, You took the words right out of my mouth. Vegan and green are NOT the same thing.
Green = renewable resource = Leather
But leathers use chemicals and often dyes. Oh, green is often all in the mind of the seller.
all depends on your definitions.
-TLo Addict -
Vegan shoes. What? Are we eating shoes now? Let's cut the crap and talk about the fact this is a marketing ploy and little else.
What materials, exactly, went into making these shoes? And "faux" anything (like her faux-snakeskin) is almost as bad as the real thing. You're still exploiting animals in fashion and someone who doesn't know the difference between the real and fake might think someone condones the use of the real thing.
As well, synthetic soles? Where do those materials come from? Chances are they don't come from recycled bottles or tires or anything. Chances are they're a highly processed fossil fuel product. Not exactly eco-friendly.
Guess Suede's win left me crankier than usual. But even still, the vegan clothing/shoe trend chaps my hide.
I'm with you joanie. Color me jaded, confused and weary of anything celebrity endorsed that's good for us and the earth. However, on a purely superficial note, the shoes are attractive, stylish and look wearable enough for most women's fashion-footwear needs.
if they're Vegan Shoes?! Where's the tofu?!
Style wise, too sensible.
I respect her attempt to live her convictions to the best of her ability. Especially when she probably travels a great deal in limos & private jets & lives in a multi acre mansion. But I'm sure it's got recycle bins, solar panels, low flow toilets & eco smart light bulbs.
They are not necessarily made from plastic, nor are they entirely eco-friendly. However, they weren't made from cruelty, slaughter, or dead skin either, which is why they are vegan and why I whole heartedly support them.
Here's my idea of a Vegan Friendly shoe! =)
Go gorgeous things! Love the shoe pic.
I would buy those; IF they proved to be a) breathable; b) have some give like leather and c) were long-lasting. Nothing gets me more than shelling out $200 plus for a pair of shoes that don't hold up. For that money, I expect shoes like the Cole Haan casuals I bought 6 years ago and wear hard (as in daily) every winter since. I'll pass until we know more about the quality.
Am I allowed to fry an egg or drink a glass of milk while wearing a Vegan Shoe?
I'll stick with my Bass cap toe dress Oxfords for work and my Birkenstocks for play.
Gorgeous Things - Loving the Green Shoe. Right out of the Adam & Eve Collection.
I can see where she's going with the line. See, a poor vegan like me goes for the Payless and Target plastic shoes. Basically all expensive/long-lasting/nice looking shoes are made of leather. So Natalie had to make a line for her personal niche market: rich vegans that have to look like super stylish at all times. I'm glad those people are satisfied.
At least she's a responsible "designer"...
Isn't that cool Bill? There's a writeup on the photographer on Apple Canada' Website
Sooooooo, what are we to do with all the cowhides left over from all the burgers we consume??
I kind of like the idea of the vegan shoe bar, where you could grab a large spaghetti squash, hollow it out, fashion it into a shoe and wear it. After which, you can eat it.
Gorgeous Things!! How neat! I thought it was all just hand drawn. Had no idea it was real leaves & flowers. I LOVE the TwoLips bag.
We have tons of Hostas in our yard. I might have to fashion an outfit tonight.
Love that picture, Gorge.
But, actually, vegan shoes and bags aren't necessarily made of plastic at all. They can be made of paper, recycled materials of various kinds--and they can be beautiful, though often they aren't. Matt & Nat makes really beautiful bags out of paper, cardboard, fabric, and recycled materials (including water bottles so, yes, plastic). Unfortunately, their prices have gone way up, but believe me, they don't look like paper or cardboard or recycled anything. MattandNat.com
And here's a shoe company that explains the materials they use: www.beyondskin.co.uk/html/about_us/aboutintro.php
Ooooo! I just saw that photo Gorgeous Things!
Bill, if you fashion an outfit out of Hostas, will you take a pic?
I think whatever the next challenge is, we should tweak it & do it.
Gorgeous Things, thank you for the link to Tcherevkoff article. Wowser! I'm inspired beyond belief. Time to borrow the friend's lightbox and get shooting.
Um, if you follow the link to the shoe line, all of the materials used to make the shoes are listed under the pics.
Fuck the shoes in her collection. I want the pair she is wearing in the picture. Those are hawt.
Also, anyone for some vegan lube?
Also, from EW.com's review:
Incidentally, Portman's footwear collection is cruelty-free, but hardly green, as Joe claimed. The $200-plus shoes are made of plastic.
So there is our answer, I guess.
Thank goodness for some nice quality vegan shoes! As a vegan, I can totally understand why the designs look a little basic. Most women already have the classic black pump, metallic party shoe, etc., and are bored by them--but these simple designs are almost impossible to find in vegan footwear. If I were to spend several hundred dollars on footwear, the first things I'd get would be the classics that everyone else already has and that I could wear over and over, then fill in with the novelties later.
About vegan shoes being "green"--not necessarily, but even the worst-case scenario of plastic is just as good for the environment as leather is. Cattle farming is a terribly destructive process that involves methane (buildup of greenhouse gases, a huge contributer to global warming), waste run-off and overgrazing (destroys the land and makes it unable to grow crops).
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