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.

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What are the best vegan trainers?

That’s a hard one as ‘best’ is personal! Immaculate Vegan has one of the largest collections of vegan trainers from a wide variety of brands from across the globe. Take a look! Our best sellers come from BeFlamboyant, Humans are Vain, Yatay, Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather, Ration.L and Komrads.

What are vegan trainers made from?

Vegan trainers (and sneakers) are made without the use of any animal materials, such as leather, suede, fur or wool. Vegan shoes are made of a variety of fabrics, traditionally synthetic but increasingly using innovative materials derived from nature with all the properties of leather, such as apple leather, cactus leather and bio-based leather (made from oil derived from cereal crops). Many synthetic trainers are now made using recycled plastics from ocean trash.

Are vegan trainers waterproof?

That depends on the style and the fabric in question. Canvas trainers are not waterproof, vegan or otherwise. But most of our trainers are water-resistant and some are also waterproof, as well durable and 100% vegan.

Are vegan trainers durable?

The quick answer: yes! But you can make them last longer by taking care of the shoes. Just as you would care for animal-leather trainers, you should look after your vegan leather trainers. With proper care, vegan trainers can last anywhere from two to five years, depending on how much wear and tear they encounter, which is the same as their animal-leather counterparts.

Are trainers the same as sneakers?

Yes! As far as we are concerned they are.

The British call them trainers, because they can be used for sports or training.

The Americans call them sneakers, presumably because, being soft-soled, they're suitable for sneaking around in!

But to confuse things further, they are also called tennis shoes in the US.

What are vegan sandals made of?

Vegan sandals are made without the use of any animal materials, such as leather, suede, fur or wool. There' a wide variety of materials that can be used to make vegan sandals, including polyurethane (also known as PU), apple leather, pineapple leather (Pinatex), cactus leather and bio-based leather (made from oil derived from cereal crops). In addition, some vegan sandals are also made from recycled materials, such as recycled polyester or other recycled fibres.

Are vegan sandals durable?

Many vegan sandals now are made using high quality and durable materials, and many of the new vegan leathers are of very high quality. But you can make your vegan sandals last longer by taking care of them well. With proper care, vegan sandals can last for many years, depending on how much wear and tear they encounter, which is the same as their animal-leather counterparts.

Are vegan sandals better for the environment?

Vegan materials tend to have a much lower carbon footprint and be much be kinder to the environment than animal leather, which is one of the most environmentally damaging materials used in fashion. Whilst there are vegan materials such as PVC which are toxic and harmful, none of the vegan sandals or products at Immaculate Vegan contain PVC. We also choose to partner with brands who are creating the most sustainable vegan sandals possible, using the most sustainable vegan materials.

Are vegan leather sandals comfortable?

There's really no difference here between vegan and non vegan sandals – it all depends on the quality and fit of the brand and the styles you choose. We partner with premium footwear brands at Immaculate Vegan to bring you vegan shoes that are high quality, stylish and comfortable.

Are vegan sandals good quality?

Whilst not all brands are equal, at Immaculate Vegan we select footwear brands making high quality, stylish and cruelty free vegan sandals and shoes.

Are vegan sandals waterproof?

That depends on the style and the fabric in question. Canvas and fabric vegan sandals are not waterproof, vegan or otherwise. But some of our vegan sandals are water-resistant and some are also waterproof, as well as durable and 100% vegan.

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