'Lisa', beautiful round toe court with sexy 3' stiletto heel from the 'Sui Generis' Collection at Beyond Skin.
This beautiful hand-made-to-order range features sassy, summer wedges with cute retro peep and almond toe courts all adorned with stunning 4inches block heels. It encapsulates exquisite glamour and taste, whilst remaining true to the Beyond Skin philosophy, that of creating gorgeous, ethical footwear for discerning style-led women.
Inspired by current trends Sui Generis has fast become the label of choice and has a celebrity following including Natalie Portman, Sadie Frost, Alison Goldfrapp and Chrissie Hynde.
'Sui Generis is not only ethical but produces desirable, stylish and feminine footwear that women really want to wear.' Phoebe Philo
Founded in 2001, Beyond Skin was created in response to the challenging predicament of combining style and fashion with a cruelty-free lifestyle. In the past, attempts to combine fashion and ethics have generally resulted in one side of the equation being sacrificed. Beyond Skin has produced a classic - yet unique - collection of vegetarian/vegan shoes that are produced in a manner that is non-exploitative to animals or humans and - wherever possible - the greater environment.
This trans-seasonal, made-to-order footwear takes its cue from developing trends and is set to continually evolve, producing capsule ranges and exclusive one off designs that transcend the typical rotational calendar. Beyond Skin endeavours to support a sustainable lifestyle by creating stylish, classic, wearable footwear for all seasons.
Fashion and ethics do not have to be mutually exclusive!
This trans-seasonal, made-to-order footwear takes its cue from developing trends and is set to continually evolve, producing capsule ranges and exclusive one off designs that transcend the typical rotational calendar. A fundamental aspect of Beyond Skin is to create a stylish and wearable product for all seasons. They endeavour to support a sustainable lifestyle rather than the throwaway culture that is an inherent part of our modern day lives.
About the shoes
All Beyond Skin's footwear is hand made in the UK. They are stitched, lasted and finished by hand, by a small manufacturer in East London.
Wherever possible, Beyond Skin is committed to sourcing the most eco-friendly, natural fabric alternatives. Every attempt will be made to stay as informed as possible of more natural, organic fabrics as they are developed and become more available on the market. Their packaging is produced using materials from a sustainable source and all our promotional material is printed on recycled paper using soya based inks.
Beyond Skin's footwear is made from a variety of man-made materials. We have a selection of different fabrics ranging from sumptuous satins and soft suedes, to organic cottons and each season will see the introduction of new materials.
Our satins are made from polyester rather than viscose, as viscose has a far greater impact on the environment as it's processed with huge amounts of acid chemicals. Much of the waste from production is dumped into rivers which severely damages entire ecosystems.
Our synthetic leathers are made from cotton-backed polyurethane. PU (polyurethane) looks like PVC leatherette but unlike PVC it's much kinder to the environment. PVC contains chlorine, a toxic chemical which produces dioxin during its manufacturing process and has been linked in numerous studies to estrogen-mimicking chemicals and additives that cause asthma. PU provides all of the glamour of PVC but without harming our environment to this extent.
Which is worse PU or leather?
Turning animal hides into leather is an energy intensive and polluting practice. The tanning process of leather is highly toxic and has a devastating environmental impact. Leather goes through an intensive chemical process which produces highly toxic industrial waste. In terms of disposal you'd think that leather products would be biodegradable, but the tanning agent renders it non biodegradable. 25% of land surface is used for grazing livestock. This land would be better used to grow trees for timber, fuel, fruit and vegetables as a third of our land suffers desertification through the clearing of forests for grazing. Farm animals produce a huge amount of waste which leaches into the ground and surface water. This pollutes wells and rivers and is a contributor to global warming. Although not ideal environmentally, PU is clearly the less of two evils.
Creators Profile
Natalie Dean - Beyond Skin's creator - has been a make-up artist in the music and fashion industry for the past 6 years, prior to which she had an extensive career in the media. Having been a committed vegetarian since 1988, she became vegan 4 years ago due to her passion for a cruelty-free lifestyle. Beyond Skin was created in response to the considerable lack of good quality, stylish - yet ethical - footwear on the market.
Beyond Skin is committed to promoting a cruelty-free lifestyle and a percentage from every pair of shoes sold will go to a selection of ethical charities.