Happy Monday everybody!! After a great weekend celebrating Earth Day we are going back to bizness of course in a good mood and with good news!

As green as it gets would be a nice slogan for this seriously ecological company. Simple Shoes is a business with deserved admiration for establishing sustainable material suppliers through a combination of programs. They appropriately describe themselves as a “nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie.” The usual natural materials utilized are organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, wool, and silk. Less typical are recycled tires, inner tubes, cork, and recycled plastics (PET for shoe laces). Sometimes Simple Shoes runs their rubber through a “creper” for a grippy and crinkly surface that is used in their soles. Their foot forms are created from post-consumer recycled paper and cardboard. Their leathers come from eco-certified factories that meet BLC or ISO 14001 standards and requirements. Impressive, huh? Read about this super green friend HERE

Following the previous note we did last week on shoe repair stores, we found another interesting story proving the cobblers bizness is increasing nationwide. “Shoe repairs have reported 25 to 40 percent increases,” said McFarland, who runs a shop in Lakeland, FL. “It’s kind of a luxury, like a car wash. Things are tight, so you wash your own car, mow your own lawn, and you’re going to [have your shoes repaired].”
Customers reap the benefits: For expensive footwear, most services range from a few dollars for a shoeshine to about $70 for replacing thick leather soles on a pair of boots. Not bad at all!
FULL ARTICLE

Big kudos for all of the footwear coverage in our favorite fashion magazines and  journals. Given that shoes are not only an everyday necessity, but a passion point for many consumers, media of all types are making coverage space for the latest footwear trends and fashions.
Mark Tanno, a freelance publicist representing designer H Williams, notes that footwear coverage
is increasingly found online, with prominent web sites and blogs. Also top broadcast outlets, including most of the national network morning shows, cover footwear. FULL ARTICLE

Supporting a good cause will always find its way even in the middle of crisis. As Shoes on Sale marks its 16th anniversary, the fundraiser is shifting to a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres format, in place of the traditional dinner. The benefit will be held at the Time Warner Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, on Oct. 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Singer Jessica Simpson will be the face of Shoes on Sale’s public service announcements, and the superstar is also confirmed to attend the event. The print ads will appear in the September issues of major fashion magazines, and Simpson will also star in a 30-second TV spot, set to air on major networks and QVC affiliates.
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Shoes can mean way more than just fashion and good looks, they also have an internal meaning, specially women’s shoes. Laura Chandler, a teacher and coach from northern Illinois, looked out at the sea of 250-some people, including men and boys who’d walked to the east side of the Capitol wearing high heels, and thanked them for their support. “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” walks, held across the country, help benefit the work of rape prevention and advocacy agencies and illustrate the age-old adage that you can’t truly understand others’ experiences unless you have walked in their shoes, organizers say. Saturday’s Springfield walk was the third such event to be held here in three years, with proceeds benefiting the Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault.
“The first year, we had 45 to 50 participants, and the second year we had about 150. This year, we had 245 pre-register,” said Shelley Vaughan, associate director of development and education for the Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault. Involving men through such events as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, she added, helps them be a part of the process of preventing sexual assault. Males on Saturday said their feet ached from wearing women’s shoes. FULL ARTICLE