NOT JUST VEGAN

January 2022 _ What’s the meaning behind - NOT JUST VEGAN - and why it’s important for you to know!

SAYE was born three years ago with a clear mission in mind, to make classic and sustainable sneakers.

Back then we focused on finding and working with the highest quality materials to create a sneaker that was as comfortable as it was cool, and would change the way we all see, feel and engage with fashion.

With this goal in mind, and with what was available on the market, it meant some of our sneakers were made using leather, instead of choosing a vegan material which would be made from plastic, a toxic material that was quickly becoming a huge global threat.

As the industry evolved and new alternatives were created, we were able to evolve right alongside these innovations, offering a far more sustainable option, and enabling all of us to take better care of the planet, together.

2022 will be a big year for our brand SAYE, as we shift into a new and exciting future, for you, for us and for our environment.

Before we let you in on all of our exciting news, we want to wind back the clock a little, explain the backstory behind the reality of vegan shoes, the use of leather in the industry and how this all relates to the evolution of our brand.

THE FASHION INDUSTRY BEING VERY NON-VEGAN

Every year, billions of animals are killed for the fashion industry. These animal materials are used to make leather, fur, wool, or silk.

Not only do animals suffer in order to produce these clothing and accessories, the environment is also severely damaged throughout the process.

Take the industry behind using animal leather products for example, every way you look at the process, there is severe harm being done, to the animals, to the environment, to the water supply, to the health of the workers…

The list goes on.

VEGAN OPTIONS BURST ONTO THE SCENE

A vegan shoe is a product in which no animals are harmed in the making of the shoe. So, no animals were tested on, nor slaughtered for their skin, fur or wool.

As you can imagine, the shift towards using vegan materials, was certainly what the planet needed, (though whether the current vegan alternatives are actually better for our environment, well that’s something we’ll explore further into the article), but the adjustments made towards finding healthier and smarter alternatives for material was certainly a good step in the right direction.

Let’s talk more about Leather 

Leather is one of the most popular materials used in everyday fashion, though over the past few years, the use of leather, and the un-sustainability of it’s processes have been put to the test.

There are three types of leather being used in the fashion industry:

First we have original leather. The type that you and I know, made from skinning an animal. The leather widely used comes from cows, pigs, goats, reptiles and other wild animals.

THEN VEGAN LEATHER ARRIVED AT THE PARTY

There are two types of vegan leathers widely used in the industry, but they’re not similar when it comes to sustainable or conscious practices.

not all vegan leather is created equal

The first type of vegan leather is made by using synthetics like polyurethane (PU) and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These two materials are plastics and are not only extremely toxic…

These types of plastics also:

- Take years to biodegrade
- Release toxic chemicals into the environment, even after the production
- Use an extensive amount of water, energy and plastics end up in the food chain
- Are described by Greenpeace as the “single most environmentally damaging type of plastic”

With all of this in mind, whilst investing in vegan leather products does mean you’re avoiding using animal products, they are quite simply, still a terrible option to use.

And unfortunately still widely utilized across the fashion industry.

THEN THE REAL VEGAN LEATHER MADE A GRAND ENTRANCE

The second vegan leather material is steadily changing the way we see and approach fashion entirely.

Fortunately, we now live in a world where the only options are choosing between hurting animals or using damaging plastic. There are far more natural and sustainable innovations on the scene, namely using bio-based materials using innovative processes.

Bio-based materials vary widely, from using the leftovers of different fruits including mango and apple skins, or plants like cactus, or discarded pineapple leaves, or even types of funghi. All being processed, to create a vegan leather that is durable, soft and luxurious.

These leather alternatives are changing the game, they offer incredible quality, don’t skimp on the look or feel of leather, and also use waste or leftover bio-based products to tick all the sustainability boxes.

These vegan leathers are also often biodegradable and produce far less emission than original and synthetic “leather”.

Saye in 2022:
Shifting towards a better future

Over the years, we’ve been able to incorporate these new, groundbreaking materials into our offerings, creating sustainable vegan products WITHOUT the plastic.

Now, we’ve come to a stage where we can firmly say goodbye to our leather products and start our new journey as a 100% vegan company with what we call our Not Just Vegan products.

This is a huge step for us and we know we simply couldn’t have done it without the incredible friends that have trusted SAYE during all these years. We owe it to you.

We are so very grateful to be able to embark on this new journey and we hope you will follow us passionately, the way you always have!

We are SAYE and we are NOT JUST VEGAN.

“We do not
inherit the
Earth from our
Ancestors, we
borrow it from
our children”