The wave reaches the vegan shoes

It''s been a while since the vegan products are not restricted to food without any trace of animal origin. Vegans more traditional, let''s say so, want animals out of your diet, your wardrobe ... and your wallet. This week, the British Government sparked the ire of vegans and vegetarians to admit the new Fiver — touted as tougher, safer, and better for the environment — contains traces of animal fat. Outraged, vegans and vegetarians have said they will not accept the notes and created an online petition demanding an end to the use of animal fat in the currency. The document created for three days already brings together more than 100,000 signatures.
A survey by Ipsos MORI Research Institute showed that the number of vegans has grown 360 percent in the United Kingdom in the last decade, representing about 1% of the population. In lifting the RATINGS of 2012, 15,200,000 Brazilians, or 8% of the population, declared themselves vegetarians — there are no reliable population data on Brazil vegan (vegetarian, generally speaking, don''t eat meat; vegans don''t eat animal products).
The increasing amount of vegetarians and vegans has been transforming and inspiring manufacturers, who produce clothes, shoes and other accessories with ecologically sustainable fabrics. Is a passionate consumer market, and prepared to open your wallet. One of the main examples is the Insecta Shoes, of Rio Grande do Sul, which produces clothes, shoes and other accessories with tissues and other ecologically sustainable materials (soles are made with good old rubber).
The Insecta produces what they conceptualize as "ecosexy": shoes and accessories made from 100% raw vegan, with varied colors and prints. The company launched its website in 2014 and has since opened two physical stores-one in Porto Alegre, in the lower city, and another in São Paulo, in the region of pine trees.
According to Barbara Mattivy, managing partner founder of the brand, the first unit was opened with 30,000 real investment, but only to allocate the stock. "Even so, customers began looking for us personally. In addition, they wanted to try the shoes before you buy, "he says.
The brand was born from the Union of two other marks. MAG-P Shoes, which used the footwear industry surplus material to manufacture eco-friendly footwear, and the thrift store virtual Urban Vintagers, created by Barbara and that ceded stampings for the creation of the first shoes, by the end of 2013. On occasion, 20 pairs were manufactured for sale on the site of the thrift store. In a single day, everything was marketed.
With the success, over 100 pairs, with investment of around 20,000 dollars, were developed. It worked again, and Barbara and her former partner decided to devote efforts to the new company full-time. "Both had environmental concerns. We decided to add a bit of each to create a most innovative concept of ecological product, handmade and unique, "says Mattivy.
The tag can be found at dealers in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Zurich, New York and Los Angeles, but at least 60% of the sales are still coming from digital trade. Despite the rise, the State of São Paulo is the main buyer, with 25 to 30% of the revenue. "The paulistas seek more vegan products, and greater purchasing power also helps to leverage sales," says Barbara. On average, each pair of vegan shoes costs 270 dollars, male and female models.
Here to stay?
The Insecta is part of a phenomenon that brings together at least other ten Brazilian brands, as the carioca Svetlana and paulistana King 55. It''s the latest in an industry effort to be less aggressive, and more sustainable. Big brands around the world, such as Armani, Calvin Klein and the Forever 21 stopped using animal skins. Cosmetic brands like Natura, Apothecary and Contains 1 g do not test their products on animals.
Vegan products are not, of course, a mass market, either allow a large-scale operation. At the end of 2016, the Insecta must achieve a turnover of 1.7 million dollars, a growth of 70% over the past year. At least 300 pairs are sold each month. Barbara reveals that the initial supply, at the time of posting, it was necessary to put the site up and deploy an online sales system.
The main challenge is in finding suppliers. Currently, there is a network of suppliers that offer fabrics and other inputs free of animal protein. The solution came from the experience of Barbara, who before creating the Insecta, ran a thrift store online. "The thrift stores have a wide variety of clothes and fabrics, so we have a team that literally plays amid the piles of clothes to find new prints" reveals. A dress gathered in one of those stores have enough material to manufacture up to six pairs of shoes.
Moreover, recently the company has invested in the use of pet bottles to manufacture new parts. "A New company Hamburg makes the separation and transforms the plastic into fabric," says Barbara. The company has increased environmental awareness and market growth aimed at vegans and vegetarians for the emergence of new solutions.
The idea is to develop products in partnerships with other ecologically responsible companies. These collaborations, a line of backpacks that reuses the material of seat belts and umbrellas was released in 2015. Recently, the Insecta launched a partnership with Flavia Spider designer for creating new shoes. The natural dyeing using black tea, black Acacia and catuaba. It may seem pure eccentricity, but it''s a one-way street.