Taylor + Thomas
Taylor + Thomas is a female-founded, sustainable, vegan luxury women’s shoe line that is designed in Los Angeles and hand-crafted in Italy. Launched in 2018, their mission is to create luxury vegan footwear that's better for the planet, the animals and your wardrobe.
Taylor + Thomas brings revolutionary ideas and aesthetics to the luxury footwear industry by bridging conscious consumption with elevated taste. Sourcing materials that utilize water molecules, yellow dent (or corn), castor beans, recycled rubber, and FSC-certified wood, Jessica and Elizabeth are working to redefine luxury to mean quality, craftsmanship, and ethics.
About the Founders
Founders Jessica Taylor Mead and Elizabeth Thomas James met in a footwear design class, and the connection was kismet. Not only do they share a common ground on personal styling, but they both recognised the need for the fashion industry to adopt more sustainable and cruelty-free practices. From the carbon emissions, water pollution, and waste production, to the treatment of animals and exploitation of the labour force – they knew they wanted to move above and beyond the fashion industry’s status quo.
Following her studies at Los Angeles’ Otis College of Art and Design as well as Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, Jessica Taylor Mead spent many years working at the helm of concept design for Joie, Current/Elliott and Equipment.
Elizabeth Thomas James’ career in producing video content for Concord Music Group led her to cross paths with legends including James Taylor, Carole King and Paul Simon. When her years in the business no longer met her creative needs and environmental concerns, she started a new chapter by attending the Otis College of Art and Design, where she reignited earlier days of inspiration, while also meeting her future business partner. Undercurrents of 70s rebellion and freedom of expression are personified with brand muses like Patti Smith, Debbie Harry and Jane Birkin.
“We’re honoured to play a positive part in your world — and your wardrobe.”
Materials
The uppers of Taylor + Thomas' vegan shoes are made from a water-based polyurethane (PU), a material free from solvents and chemicals. The lining is made of 50% yellow dent – an inedible and renewable corn (the other 50% is water-based PU).
Suede detailing is made from recycled plastic bottles, while the insoles are crafted from memory foam made from castor beans and recycled rubber. Recycled rubber is also the main material in the outsoles.
The solid-wood heels are made from sustainably harvested beech wood, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
People
Taylor + Thomas takes pride in working with artisans who are paid fair wages.
Production
Committed to sustainable processes, Taylor + Thomas have partnered with a small ethical family-run, all-vegan, solar-powered factory in Italy, where each of their shoes is crafted by hand. The facility is constantly working on research and development into sustainable production methods.
The insoles are made in a closed-loop factory in Japan, which filters air, recycles water, and ships their products in bags made from stone.
Furthermore, Taylor + Thomas offsets their carbon footprint in all production practices by partnering with NativEnergy, a company offering carbon-offset solutions for businesses. Every season, the brand also donates 1% of proceeds to One Percent for the Planet, an initiative to incentivise companies to donate to environmental schemes.
Packaging
All of Taylor + Thomas' packaging is made from sustainable materials. Their vegan shoes come in dust bags made from upcycled canvas, sourced in downtown Los Angeles. The shoe box itself is made from recycled cardboard and is recyclable. Even the ribbon on the dust bag and box is upcycled, also sourced in downtown LA.
Animals
Taylor + Thomas is proud to be a PETA-approved Vegan brand.
To discover more like this, visit our vegan shoes and vegan boots collections.
You can read more about the problem with animal leather and sustainable vegan leather alternatives on our blog.
