Ethical Shoes

www.beyondskin.co.uk

The stylish but ethical vegan shoe company, Beyond Skin, which boasts Natalie Portman and Chrissie Hynde as fans. All their footwear is hand-made in England and produced in a manner that is non-exploitative to humans, animals and wherever possible the wider environment.

Beyond Skin was established by Natalie Dean in 2001. A former make-up artist in the music and fashion industry, she set up the label out of pure frustration; she found there were no footwear brands dedicated to designing style-led shoes for fashionable but also ethically conscious women.
The brand’s overall objective is to be the leading producer of fashionable, ethical footwear with an identifiable eco message to both businesses and consumers worldwide. Dean endeavours not to exploit animals, humans or wherever possible, the wider environment. Dean is attempting to eventually phase out the use of PU fabrics and replacing them with eco-friendly and organic alternatives. She is also pursuing the use of hemp plastics and other sustainable materials and is trying to raise awareness of non-leather alternatives. The shoes here have been developed for the exhibition and herald a new direction for Dean as she experiments with using old fabrics to create new shoes.