Written by Menswear Style in Interviews on the 12th January 2022

Meet elliott, the footwear brand with a climate agenda reinventing the footwear industry. They're taking sustainability to the next level with upcycled, vegan, and 100% cruelty-free products with a climate-positive impact. Founded in Copenhagen, elliott footwear is a brand with a minimalistic approach to style and impact on the planet. The brand was born out of a desperate need to act and a heart for environmental change. Following extensive research and implementation, elliott launched the world's first climate positive sneaker collection in September 2018 and has since become a member of the UNFCCC climate change initiative. Inspired by Danish design, global art, elegant architecture and contemporary culture, they combine ready-to-wear everyday footwear with climate action and a continued journey towards a sustainable profile.

In a recent episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interviewed Sam Carew, Co-Founder of elliott footwear about his background and how the world's first climate positive footwear brand was launched. Our host Peter Brooker and Sam talked about the carbon cost of making shoes, climate anxiety, sustainability and minimalist design, crowdfunding success, manufacturing, the importance of footwear in men's style, and what the future holds for the brand.

“elliot footwear is the world's first climate positive sneaker brand. So, in essence, we're the first business to tie climate action to a footwear brand. As a brand we offset one metric tonne of co2 emissions for every pair of shoes that we sell, which sounds complicated, but we do this by partnering with climate partners. Our shoes have a very minimalistic design which appeals to most people. They can transition between smart wear and casual wear, and they’re unisex too. It's been a massive learning curve for me, getting my head around shoes, and learning how they’re created along with the sampling process. I'm now constantly looking at people's feet. Maybe that’s because of the desire to see a pair of elliott sneakers on someone. Your footwear describes a little about who you are because what you decide to wear on your feet is a choice. You typically have less shoes than you have clothes, so you have to choose your shoes more wisely.”

This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 150 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Sam Carew, Co-Founder of elliottfootwear.com. You can listen to the full version below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast player.

We sit down with Sam Carew of elliott footwear, the climate positive sneaker brand, to talk about minimal trainers and how the shoe brand was born.