1/2 - Next time you're shopping for sneakers, why not choose shoes made in apple, grape, corn, cactus or pineapple? Achille Gazagnes, co-founder of MoEa, tells us all about his new brand of vegan bio-sneakers, launched last spring.

By Ludmilla Intravaia

Le Boudoir Numérique: Generally, vegan brands focus on a single innovative material, possibly two or three for the design of their products. At MoEa, your brand of animal-free and more sustainable sneakers, born last spring, you propose five different materials. Why ?

Achille Gazagnes, co-founder of MoEa: Our idea is to defend plant-based materials, substitutes for animal leather and hydrocarbon-based materials for the respect of animal life and the environment. But we want to do it in a fun way. Each sneaker has the same style but a different color corresponding to a material from a fruit or a plant. The red for the apple, the AppleSkin from our partner Frumat, made from apple waste from the Italian fruit juice industry. The green for the cactus, the Desserto (from the company Adriano Di Marti, AN), from an organic farm in Mexico. Beige for the corn from Viridis, an Italian company that works with residues from American corn production.

And the color black?

The black corresponds to the grapeskin Vegea (from the company of the same name, AN), made from grape waste from Italian vineyards. Yellow is the color of pineapple, the Piñatex material from our partner Ananas Anam, made from waste pineapple leaves from the Philippines. The material of each sneaker is written inside the shoe. We also created a tutti frutti “All In” sneaker that includes all materials, pineapple, cactus, grape, apple and corn. In addition to the playful aspect of having fun matching the color to its material, our concept makes it possible to popularize these innovative materials and to highlight the know-how of their respective laboratories.

I guess that each material differs from the others by its own characteristics?

The most original and exotic material is the pineapple, due to its unique and very recognizable fibrous aspect, since it is made from pineapple fibers. Corn is amazing because it is very resistant and a little heavier than the other materials. It’s the best material to keep the foot warm. The cactus is also robust. The grape benefits from a grainy aspect that brings it closest to leather, while the apple is perfectly smooth.

What is the distribution of the different materials in the shoe?

The upper is made from the five materials we have just mentioned. The sole is 70% recycled rubber. The lining is a blend of 75% recycled bamboo and 25% recycled polyester. The laces are made of organic cotton. We use vegan and recycled materials as much as possible.

As you are talking about recycling, have you thought about the end of your products life cycle? Can we bring used shoes back to you?

Absolutely. For the moment, they have to be sent back to us because we have no physical stores. But the day we will have some, you will be able to bring them back to the store. After detaching the sole from the upper of the sneaker, we reuse the rubber from the old sole to make a new one. The upper of the used shoe can be used to make new soles or uppers. At the moment, 40% of a future product can be made from an old one. It is not yet one for one but we are only at the beginning of research in this field.

Apart from the cactusskin, made from the mature leaves of cultivated cactus, your innovative materials come from agricultural production residues, is that right?

Yes. These materials recover waste which, basically, would not have been used. In addition, the manufacturing is local. Apart from the cactusskin, made in Mexico, the other materials are made in Italy. These new materials are based on European know-how, completely in line with our local manufacturing approach. The sneakers are made in Portugal. The soles too and the laces are made in Italy.

* Read the second part of Achille Gazagnes’ interview on Le Boudoir Numérique: “MoEa’s values are highly anticipated on the sneakers market”.

* MoEa website is here.

* Learn more about innovative vegan and cruelty-free fashion and beauty, by exploring the Boudoir Numérique special file there.