Payless ShoeSource has announced its new green Zoe & Zac brand of shoes, handbags, jewelry and socks for under $30 an item. The Zoe & Zac products are made from eco-friendly components and materials such as organic cottons and linen, natural hemp, recycled rubber outsoles, eco-friendly-EVA cushioning, and water-based glues for the shoes. Natural materials like dyed Tagua and Acai nuts are incorporated into the jewelry. The product packaging utilizes 100 percent recycled shoe boxes and soy-based inks for the printing.
"The sustainability movement is pervasive today and is touching so many elements of consumers' daily lives and they are interested in more and more green product options being available to them," said LuAnn Via, president of Payless ShoeSource. "But green items are often expensive and inaccessible to so many. Today, we are thrilled to launch the Zoe & Zac brand and to make green footwear and accessory products affordable, delivering new options for more people to take part in a more sustainable lifestyle."
Zoe & Zac makes its debut with the Spring Collection featuring eight women's footwear styles, two handbags, three girls' shoes, as well as a range of jewelry and socks. The shoe styles include espadrille wedges, ballet flats, skimmer slip-ons, and flip flops with printed fabrics that feature daisies and camouflage and embellishments like bows and frayed detailing. Handbags include a tote with a unique square shape and tied bow detail and a clutch with a rattan handle. Jewelry features turquoise-like pieces with large chunky pendants and natural-colored beading details. The main colors used in the collection include purple, sage, royal blue, brown and pink.
Payless also announced today an alliance with The Nature Conservancy and a Green BOGO sale to partner with shoppers to raise money to plant a minimum of 100,000 trees to support The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign. Payless will donate $1 -- the cost to plant one tree -- for every Zoe & Zac green brand item sold through May 4 and on every Payless reusable shopping bag (pictured below) sold throughout the year.
