WHAT THE PAPERS SAY
We love all our press inclusions, big or small, and it's been humbling to see the response and enthusiasm out there is out there for a new way of thinking and doing. Whether it's a broadsheet or the smallest blog it all helps spread the word of our project and mahalo to you all.
GQ: Best trainers in the world this week
These are the world's first plastic-free pair of trainers and are made from 100 per cent natural materials. Handmade in Portugal from the softest full-grain leather and using hemp-stitched and vegan conifer glue, they have a minimal ecological impact.
The Times: Men's style
New British brand WAES can boast the world's first plastic-free sneakers.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mens-style-winter-essentials-0qvlbff58
Refinery29: Shoes Are The Most Environmentally Damaging Part Of Your Wardrobe
Nevertheless, some brands are managing to innovate in this area. WAES, for example, makes 100% plastic-free shoes, which it claims are compostable at the end of their life.
https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/sustainable-shoes
Telegraph: Too old for Trainers?
Simple rules for staying stylish... Adrian Clark "Eco-friendly WAES creates plastic-free, biodegradable shoes that are manufactured in Portugal – and they are some of the most comfortable I have ever worn."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/style/old-trainers-not-avoid-big-sports-brands-opt-labels-instead/
The Industry Fashion: Interview WAES footwear
WAES is the world's first zero-waste, plastic-free, 100% biodegradable sneaker brand – launching to the market now amid the coronavirus crisis. It was already all systems go when they recently received their first delivery of stock to sell direct-to-consumer via the brand's new website, so they will push on despite the obvious limitations of launching during a lockdown.
https://www.theindustry.fashion/the-interview-ed-temperley-co-founder-waes-footwear/
Marie Claire: how to find the coolest sustainable fashion
When buying new, go for clothing & accessories that are designed with an end of life in mind such as WAES the cool new sneakers by Ed Temperley and Damian Quinn that are plastic-free and 100% biodegradable.
https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/sara-vaughans-sustainable-fashion-687511
Pebble Mag: Sustainable Shoes That Actually Look Good
New sustainable trainer brand, Waes, take things up a notch. Minimal, low slung and must have, Waes forge a new path for style conscious eco-friendly shoppers.
Eco Age: What To Do With Your Old Shoes
"Making something truly good for the planet in shoe form is not an easy task because of the materials generally used (often plastic).
It's something that Ed Temperley, the co-founder of WAES, seems to have mastered with his plastic-free 100% compostable sneakers. "We are really only scratching the surface of what we can produce," he tells me. "Our process is to fuse the pre-plastic practices of shoe production with exciting new materials. Even a few years ago the reception might have been more dubious, but people are seeking positive solutions and here I hope we have one."
https://eco-age.com/news/what-to-do-with-your-old-shoes
Coach Mag: The Best New Trainers For Men
The only sneaker on this list – and any other – that can call itself totally plastic-free and biodegradable. One to watch, without a doubt.
https://www.coachmag.co.uk/style/5108/trainers
SUNDAY EXPRESS: WAES Footwear leads the way into a plastic-free, zero-waste future
Start-up WAES Footwear is going where others fear to treat in these tough retail times with the launch of its plastic-free and zero waste sneakers.
https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/1267842/waes-footwear-plastic-free-zero-waste-sneakers
T3.com: Forget Nike, these stylish sneakers are plastic-free and entirely biodegradable.
Devon and Porto-based Edward Temperley and Damian Quinn have. The co-founders of WAES have created a trainer which is 100% biodegradable, carbon neutral and contains zero plastic.
https://www.t3.com/news/these-stylish-sneakers-are-plastic-free-and-entirely-biodegradable
magicseaweed: PLASTIC-FREE SHOES MADE WITH THE OCEAN IN MIND
Microplastics are one of the greatest threats to the health of our oceans. And did you know that we're all kind of guilty of spreading them in our environment each day? Here's some food for thought; microplastics are scuffed from the soles of our shoes with each step we take, and most of us probably aren't even thinking about that. It's why a bunch of surfers founded the company WAES, which creates 100 per cent plastic-free and biodegradable kicks that are good for you and the environment.
https://magicseaweed.com/news/introducing-waes-plastic-free-shoes-created-by-surfers/11557/
WAVELENGTH: THE PLASTIC FREE SHOE MAKING WAVES.
Unless you have been in hiding for the last few years, you should by now realise that we are facing an environmental crisis. People really woke up after Sir David Attenborough rocked the world with his dulcet tones and his incredibly inspiring Blue Planet. It is brilliant to see he is at it again with his new series; Seven Worlds, One planet.
Thanks to these sorts of awareness campaigns we know we need to do what we can to protect our planet, but for many dramatic changes can be daunting as we have got into the habit of following convenience.
WAES is a brilliant start up that is aiming to disrupt the shoe market by showing it is possible to produce high quality shoes that are completely plastic free.
https://wavelengthmag.com/introducing-waes-a-plastic-free-shoe/
ecohustler: The world's first biodegradable trainer company just launched - and they rock!
Sick of plastic pollution and the ongoing harm being done to the natural world, surfer and ocean advocate, Ed Temperley, decided to do something about it. With his partner Damian Quinn they created WAES Footwear. Their mission is to help people walk a little lighter by creating shoes that will not remain in nature for hundreds of years.
Yanko Design: WAES PLASTIC-FREE COMPOSTABLE SNEAKERS CREATE A BIG IMPACT WITHOUT A CARBON FOOTPRINT
It's no secret that the fashion industry is one of the highest polluters on the planet. Here's a fact that's new though… the shoe industry pumps out more than 20 billion shoes each year, and virtually every single one of them has trace amounts of plastic in it. That's not even considering the fact that for the most part, shoes are never biodegradable.
Couple the permanence of plastic with 20 billion and you've got a pretty deadly number on your hands. It's easy to recycle cloth, but shoes, not so much. Since most shoes are made of multiple parts, featuring multiple materials glued together using synthetic glue, your footwear can't be recycled or composted. The guys at WAES Footwear want to change at least one of those things.
By engineering the plastic out of the footwear, WAES' shoes look to nature and natural materials for inspiration.
WAES shoes are manufactured in Portugal and every element of the shoe is natural or nature-derived, and is biodegradable, including the shoe's innovative packaging which is made from reusable wooden port-wine boxes!
One would probably think the absence of plastic would present some compromises, but nature has its way of providing better alternatives, says Ed Temperley, co-founder of WAES. The Lactae Hevea sole is, in fact, more durable and at the same time more flexible than plastic or synthetic elastomer soles, while the upper fabric and laces present a classic evergreen silhouette.
AverageJoes: WAES FOOTWEAR LAUNCH WORLD'S FIRST ZERO-WASTE, PLASTIC-FREE SHOE COLLECTION
An estimated 330 million pairs of shoes are sold each year in the UK. But with most of these ending up in landfills and decomposition taking around 50 years, public concern regarding plastic pollution and sustainability is at an all-time high. Which is why new label WAES Footwear is launching the world's first collection of zero-waste, plastic-free trainers.