In order to change this deteriorating state of the global ecological development, it is vital to look at pathways towards a more sustainable future and most importantly, we have to learn quickly that mother nature makes the rules failing to come to this realization is to lose seeing: our earth pure naked water, provision of nutrition never asking for permission, her undressed skies showing no fear from prying eyes, her fertile plains and desert sands. Lava flowing from volcanoes, crashing waves, salty seas, the richness of an ocean breeze, and clouds above.
We all have to contribute to protecting the environment starting from the items we wear. It’s apparent that a responsible approach to fashion should be commonplace by now, whether it’s eco-friendly sneakers, recycled cotton, or the use of hemp-based fabrics.
Brands all over are rushing introduce their own responsibility initiatives, while other first-mover brands like SAYE starts life with this environmentally-friendly approach ingrained in their DNA.
Saye is a sneaker brand that is protecting the environment, The brand not only produces eco-friendly sneakers it also enhances the consumer’s awareness of social and environmental concerns on the fashion sector. The brand is driven by the purpose to create, revolutionize, sophisticated ties that simultaneously inspire us to be fashionable, comfortable, and most importantly protect mother nature with every step. It was a great avenue to learn from Lizzie one of the founders of Saye.
SNM: Tell us about your professional career. How did you and the rest founders come together to start SAYE?
Marta, Co-Founder of SAYE, worked 3 years in strategic consulting and in a personal project of sunglasses when she finished her Business Administration degree at ESADE University. Right after that, she studied a Digital Marketing master and she began to create about the idea of a sustainable sneakers brand.
Lizzie, Co-Founder of SAYE, worked in marketing and communication since she finished her degree in ESADE. She worked two years in a communications agency in NYC and almost 3 years in BCN. When she left her job, she went on a trip and, being there, Marta contacted her and explained her the idea she had in mind. Lizzie didn’t think twice and told her that she wanted to get involved in the project; trying to create something related to the fashion industry that could make a difference was what she wanted.
Damian, SAYE’s Co-Founder, has always been an entrepreneur. He has created two companies; a promoter of electronic music and a virtual reality company. When Marta and Lizzie told him about SAYE he immediately saw it as a great opportunity. Damian has never stopped training in the field of image and design through small projects and collaborations with other creators.
In March 2018 they finally launched WADO (at that time) and the campaign was a complete success. It allowed them to produce the first 7.000 pairs of sneakers and they became the most funded Spanish fashion project ever on Kickstarter. After that month, in April 2018, they moved the project to Indiegogo and used the platform as the only online sales channel for more than 20 months. That period allowed them to make the project grow and turn it into an actual company with 10 people employed. At the end of that period, they had become the most funded fashion shoe ever on the history of the crowdfunding platform. In December 2019 they closed Indiegogo and moved to their own e-commerce. That same time, and due to a trademark issue, which prevented them from continuing to expand internationally, they decided to change their name to SAYE.
SNM: What is the meaning and story behind the name of your brand?
2 years ago we launched SAYE, a project with a single purpose: to make you effortlessly shift your lifestyle towards a more sustainable one. To help make that change we offer you sustainable sneakers without compromising on a cool design. Our aim is to make inspired-by-the-80s-sneakers for Gamechangers, for these people who firmly believe that there is a better way of doing things.
To us, SAYE means SAYING YES. Yes to change, inspiration, art, community, optimism, treasuring what we love, valuing what we have, even little things, and most of all: taking care of our planet.
With SAYE we created a brand that goes beyond the product. We are talking about changing our behavior towards consumerism. Downshifting to an essential living and fostering longevity.
Inspiring change… with style.
Ultimately, it’s about acknowledging the value of things again with ageless & genderless long-lasting sustainable high-end products.
Because the sneakers you choose to wear define who you are and what you stand for, in SAYE we take very seriously three main points:
– Our workforce conditions
– Fighting against deforestation
– Our compromise to become zero waste
Recovering connections with nature and people, shifting to an essential living and doing things with a purpose, make our lives meaningful.
Ultimately, we believe that together we can make citizens evolve and shift to a lifestyle that has a positive impact towards climate crisis.
SAYE inspires a conscious way of buying less, sharing more and investing in high-quality products that last for years.
We believe that the solution to address the climate crisis is not (just) about planting trees, recycling plastic, or using organic materials. It’s about changing our behavior in everyday decisions towards nature. Giving a twist to the way we are designing, manufacturing, and especially consuming things.
SNM: Sum up the aesthetic of your brand. Do you have any signatures?
The SAYE Modelo´89 is a vintage sneaker model inspired by the 80s, available in 6 colors. It incorporates a tongue with a cork detail as a symbol of our social and reforestation project. It is a classic sneaker that does not go out of style.
Just now we just launched our vegan version.
Our style is classic, atemporal, minimalist and overall good quality products.
SNM: Why sustainability, what made you decide to create a brand that is environmentally conscious?
With SAYE we wanted to connect people with what really matters making them feel included, empowered, connected and inspired to live a fulfilling life that respects, protects, and preserves the planet.
We wanted to make timeless sneakers and use them as a vehicle for change; a change in our People and our Planet. From the inside out and from the roots up, a new set of social values starting with our shoes, all the way through to our Social and Planting project.
SNM: Take us through the sustainable process and material for making your shoes?
In SAYE we produce everything in Portugal, Felgueiras.
87% of the world of footwear is manufactured in Asia or in developing countries, which is linked to labor exploitation through a cheap workforce.
There, workers’ rights are limited or nonexistent. Usually, they have interminable work shifts, precarious salaries and scarce security in their factories.
We are determined not to be part of this. From the beginning we only wanted to partner with suppliers that respect their workers, improving their living conditions and providing them a good working environment; a factory where employment is freely chosen and where child labor is not used in any case. Therefore, we focused on finding partners in Europe that work under the same values as we believe in.
Our search started in our own country, Spain, but after visiting several factories and not meeting our expectations, we decided to knock the door on our neighbor country, Portugal, well known not only for its quality footwear industry but also for the excellence of its service and the ability to deliver small series; We had finally found our partner.
Located in the North of Portugal, Felgueiras is the heart of the country’s footwear industry. Our partner, You Shoes, is made up of artisans that really love the work they do and we proudly can confirm that one year and 18.000 sneakers after, they still maintain a high standard of ethics: fair wages and shifts, gender equality and most importantly, they treat their workers as family.
We also work with suppliers from Alicante, Spain. The concentration of our manufacturing suppliers within the same geographical area allows us to create an efficient and fast collaborating network which ensures the use of local materials and reduces our carbon footprint.
In SAYE we fight against deforestation since 2018 allowing anyone to take part in our project. Every time you buy a pair of shoes we plant two trees in collaboration with the NGO We Forest.
Joining forces enable us not only to plant the trees in the most needed areas of the planet, but also to empower forest-dependent local communities providing them with tools for their livelihood development and training them on how to regenerate and protect the forest so it can become a sustainable wood and food resources to them.
We use organic & recycled materials
We are committed to making timeless sneakers and use them as a vehicle for change. This is why we try to introduce as many organic and recycled materials as possible in our sneakers and their packaging. We use organic cotton that doesn’t involve chemical fertilizers or damaging pesticides in its production process and recycled materials that otherwise would become a waste of the automotive industry.
Modelo89 VEGAN:
In 2018 12 Milion pairs of shoes were produced from non-reusable or non-biodegradable virgin plastic.
Currently, 90% of the sneakers are made of plastic, a petroleum-based material. With all that plastic waste in the ecosystem, it is not enough to just stop producing it.
It must be reintroduced into the industrial chain.
An exercise of Innovation, and after 1 a year and a half of Research and Development, we have managed to make this upcycled sneaker, made with 100% recycled and recyclable fibers from recovered plastics. Inspired by the Modelo’89 collection, this is our commitment to the vegan path. While we keep up with our main values which include becoming a zero-waste brand, fighting for fair production working conditions, and keep funding the growth of thousand trees in the most needed areas of the Planet.
Our Vegan Napa contains 35% recycled post-consumer fibers (RPET), made of discarded garments and different reintroduced PET articles. It is a Global Recycled Standard (GRS) product, manufactured in Spain.
This vegan model still introduces as many organic and recycled materials as possible. We keep using organic cotton that doesn’t involve chemical fertilizers or damaging pesticides in its production process and recycled materials that otherwise would become a waste of the automotive industry. That’s why it’s not just a vegan sneaker.
SNM: How you are working with other organizations to protect and clean the environment?
We work with the NGO WE FOREST to not only plant trees in the most needed areas of the planet, but also to empower forest-dependent local communities providing them with tools for their livelihood development and training them on how to regenerate and protect the forest so it can become a sustainable wood and food resources to them.
Other than this, we work with other local organizations like ARBA LITORAL to plant trees near Barcelona or collect plastic from the ocean with ECOMAR.
SNM: How do you think we as individuals can start on a path to a more sustainable life? What are those first baby steps we can take?
Transport
*Unsustainable practice – Driving personal vehicles
*Sustainable step – Walk, ride your bike, car-share, work from home, catch the bus, limit driving miles
Driving your personal car is one of the more ‘unsustainable’ practices that most people can immediately alter. Climate scientists say, one of the leading factors for driving global warming higher is the environmental impact of an automobile.
Have a look at your daily life and choose one single change you can make to your schedule.
Find a way to ride your bike, catch the bus or limit your driving miles to create a momentous impact on your environment.
Energy
*Unsustainable – Being wasteful with water
*Easy step – Treat water like gold
Conserving water in the house is an easy way to live more sustainably. Water is a finite commodity that, if not managed properly, will result in shortages in the very near future.
How to save water?
1. Install water-saving showerheads or flow restrictors
2. Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher
3. Take a shorter shower
4. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth
Diet
*Unsustainable – Food production and transport
*Easy step – Order a weekly box of delicious produce from your local, organic farm
Sustainable farming is one of the vital principles of sustainable living. Supporting your local farm encourages the availability of healthy, local, organic, low impact, and seasonal food. Food wastage is also highly discouraged in an organic farm environment.
It’s absolutely paramount that we support our farmers and buy the sort of in-season produce, that will automatically strengthen our immunity, sense of community and cause less pollution, while limiting transport costs.
Recycle and Re-use
*Unsustainable – Being wasteful
*Easy step – Setup a recycling system
General waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment and recycling helps to reduce pollution and harmful chemicals that are released. Recycling also reduces the need for raw materials so that rainforests can be preserved.
There are a thousand and one incredible ways of reusing and recycling anything and everything. Get creative when thinking of ways to repurpose items, each time you buy.
But first things first, set up a recycling system at your work and home. Make sure glass, plastic, paper and organic products all are thrown away into their respective places.
Recycle – plastic packaging, glass, paper, old clothes, old furniture
Reuse – plastic packaging, bottles, and cups for other purposes, re-use gift wrapping paper
Consume Mindfully
*Unsustainable – Unconscious consuming
*Easy step – Consume mindfully, think before you buy
We live in a society built on consumerism. And the mentality that has been created as a by-product of that is to buy, buy, buy.
The time has come to consume mindfully, to think before you buy. Research into the production practices behind your favorite brands and companies. Reach out to them and ask what they are doing to support change and positively impact the environment.
SNM: Let’s talk more about your shoes. Without missing words, they are the most beautiful shoes I have ever worn and on top of that, the quality is unmatched. And the feeling of wearing something that doesn’t make you feel guilty you are hurting the environment is so surreal. So tell us, Who are your shoes made for?
For the game-changers! Someone that contributes to change the way that something is done, thought about or made.
SNM: How do you want people to feel when they wear your shoes?
We want people to feel they contributed to a better way of fashion. Wearing SAYE, we want our clients to feel unique, special and of course, cool and trendy.
SNM: We are so inspired by what you’re achieving right now, but we’d love to know what your aspirations are for the future?
Become a zero-waste brand, using in the products as much as recycled materials as possible.
Also, we will introduce more products to the brand. In October we will launch our first clothing line and a new sneaker model.
In the future we want to be not just a sneakers brand but a fashion brand always with sustainability as a main value.
SNM: Where can we shop for your shoes?
You can buy SAYE online and some physical stores around the world:
By Anderson Azugbene
