MoEa, a French startup, has launched a range of sneakers made of plant-based materials. What makes the brand unique is that it is not using just one particular type of plant but five different types of fruits and plants – apple, pineapple, corn, grape and cactus – to create its shoes.
The vegan, PETA-approved and recyclable sneakers are available in five different colours, each corresponding to the colour of the plant or fruit used to make it. For example, apple shoe comes in red, while the pineapple one comes in yellow colour. One can also choose between white with coloured accents and solid colour. MoEa is also offering an all-in-one sneaker with all colours combined in one over a white base.
The grape and apple leathers come from the waste of the wine and juice industry, respectively, in Italy. Corn sneakers are made with non-edible American corn, while the cactus leather is derived from cactus plants in Mexico. The pineapple leather is derived by recycling pineapple leaves waste from the Philippines into pineapple skin.
Besides these natural plant-based leathers, MoEa sneakers also use materials such bio-PU, PU, recycled polyester, and organic cotton.
MoEa was founded by Achille Gazagnes, Benoit Habfast and Simon de Swarte in September 2020 in Paris, France. Gazagnes says, “We’ve launched MoEa to create sneakers that offer the same level of style and comfort you’d expect to see in your favourite leather pair, whilst ensuring that the planet isn’t some sort of a meaningless afterthought and that animals aren’t treated with cruelty.”
Handcrafted in Portugal by skilled shoemakers, the lining of the sneakers is made of recycled bamboo while its insole is made using recycled woodfibre. With sustainability at its core, the company uses recycled shoeboxes and mentions all necessary information on the box itself instead of regular flyers.
MoEa has also been chosen by WWF as a member of the French Entrepreneur Club for its social and environmental commitment.
The company is currently selling through a crowdfunding business model and shoes are available on pre-order on Kickstarter.
