London-based luxury footwear label, Dear Frances, has released its first eco-vegan collection, which includes four seasonless styles from the brand's core collection.

Dear Frances began as a digitally native company in 2016, with the goal of redefining classics with an aesthetic of warmth, simplicity, and simple elegance. A sustainability approach is at the heart of the company, focusing on three important elements: slow fashion, conscious production, and aligned partnerships.

This approach to ensure quality, long-lasting styles manufactured with ethical material choices devoid of chemical treatments have resulted in an eco-vegan collection being sustainably made and produced in Italy, using apple waste as a by-product of the food and beverage sector.

This natural waste is used to replace other chemically derived raw materials in products, cutting emissions and energy consumption across the entire production chain, and the apple residue is naturally dried and transformed into an apple powder, which is then used in the collection's manufacturing.

Jane Frances, designer and founder of Dear Frances, said that they’ve always been committed to being a sustainably conscious brand aiming to reduce waste where possible, so when launching their debut vegan collection, they wanted to make sure that not only is the collection leather-free but that it is also created in a sustainably conscious way.

Frances added that they didn't want to just replace leather materials with plastic, which would cause even more environmental damage, so they spent time looking for a natural substitute that felt as soft and sturdy as their flagship collections. Their vegan collection has been in the works for a few years as a result."

The debut vegan collection includes four styles, including two vegan leather boots, a simple ankle boot with block heel, and lace-up combat boots. These join the basic low-top trainer, which comes in three colorways, and croc sliders in green, brown, and black. The cost varies between 295 and 895 pounds.

Furthermore, all Dear Frances shoes, from the mainstream and seasonal collections to the vegan collection, are packaged in recycled shoe boxes created from process wastes from organic grapes purchased locally from vineyards surrounding the company's Italian factories. The paper is FSC certified, GMO-free, and comprises 40% post-consumer recycled waste. It is also made with EKOenergy, resulting in a 20% reduction in carbon footprint.

As part of its effort to move towards a circular economy, the footwear firm also partners with organizations like Soles4Souls to assist spare lightly worn shoes from ending up in the trash and instead distribute them to those in need of shoes.

On November 4, Dear Frances' first eco-vegan collection will be available exclusively online at dearfrances.com.