Having played a major part in launching many successful national footwear brands for the last eight years, I have learned first-hand how to create stylish quality footwear that is both animal friendly and more environmentally friendly.

I founded NeuAura because I am a vegetarian who also believes in a fashion-forward lifestyle. Over the years I have come across many women like me, who were looking for fashionable, high-quality, and affordable animal-friendly products.

NeuAura was launched out of my concern for the welfare of the animals, the environment as well as my love for fashion. In the last few years, I have become extremely inspired by the innovation and quality of non-leather materials. Through my extensive experience in the footwear industry, I have learned first hand how to creatively utilize these materials. This has resulted in a quality, fashion-forward line that is also animal-friendly!

The NeuAura brand stands for quality animal-friendly footwear, fresh designs and innovation for today’s uncompromising consumer.

NeuAura shoes DO NOT CONTAIN ANY leather, fur, silk, wool, shell, or pearls. NO animal by-products are used during manufacturing and/or finishing processes.

Elizabeth attended Art and Design School in New York City. She has been the Creative Director at Tommy Hilfiger and designed for Calvin Klein, Bulga, Nine West and many others. She has worked as a stylist on numerous print ad campaigns, commercials and films. Clients included Nike, Nike Goddess, Nissan, Universal Studios, IBM, and Corbis to name a few.

Philosophy

The founding philosophy of Olsen Haus is based in the universal truth, respect for all beings, with a dedication to the expression of spiritual truth in the material world.

We are committed to being 100% cruelty-free, producing functional goods, with a high standard of ethical social responsibility in animal and human rights.

Products are made of non-animal materials, in sample rooms & factories that are personally checked for ethical practices & environment.

We wish peace and light for all.

On being vegan

When I was little I always wondered about meat. What is it? Where does it come from? How do they make it? The concept of it was abstract.

As a teenager I learned the truth—the horrific cruelty of what was happening to the animals. From factory farming to vivisection, animal testing, fur farms and circuses, as well as the waste and careless damage being done to the environment. I cried and wondered how can this be going on?

I became a vegetarian, later a vegan, and a voice for animals for 20 years now. I am deeply involved and committed to the shift in consciousness to awareness of the truth, for the freedom of the animal kingdom, and thus the evolution of humankind.

Gathering all of these experiences, and most interested in consciousness, purpose, function, colour, art, design, and cruelty-free, Elizabeth created Olsen Haus to merge these concepts into whole.

Elizabeth divides her time between New York, Florida and travelling for Olsen Haus. Future plans include growth of Olsen Haus, continued study of metaphysics, theosophy and yoga, building a completely environmentally friendly home and starting a family.

Heather English got the idea for English Retreads when she was floating down Boulder Creek on, you guessed it, an inner tube. “I needed a new handbag, I was a vegetarian and wanted something that was fashionable and invincible—but not made from leather,” Heather explains. “I didn’t find what I was looking for, so I went to my local hardware store and bought some tools and started my own personal sweatshop—with me doing the sweating.” After friends started asking for a bag just like hers, Heather knew she was on to something and English Retreads hit the road in 2001.

Truck stops in the Boulder area supply Heather with the used inner tubes—each of which probably has more than 60,000 miles on it before it gets reinvented. "Just think of all the places these tubes have been," says Heather. "Now it's your turn to add to their miles and adventures."

Re-inventing the Wheel

Founded on socially and environmentally conscious ideals, English Retreads believes in using only cruelty-free and vegan materials in conjunction with crafty ingenuity. Heather English, says her design philosophy is to create classic, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted accessories that make a high-impact fashion statement and a low impact on the environment.

"Each new design begins with the idea of striving to keep more waste out of the landfill by creating fashionable, yet sturdy items out of recycled materials," Heather says. "And by turning recycling into a bold fashion statement, we at English Retreads can empower consumers with an ecologically sound alternative to animal products without compromising style or durability. It's a win-win situation for everyone. I love designing a unique product that I feel good about, and that people can feel good about buying."

English Retreads are offsetting 100% of the carbon emissions from their manufacturing operations, shipping and employee commutes. English Retreads are committed to fair treatment of our employees and workers, promoting healthy communities where we do business, preserving the environment, and delivering quality products to our consumers.

Outside of work Heather also enjoys hiking, biking, surfing, meditation, yoga and wilderness retreats as well as meditating at home - until Omar the ferret starts to nibble at her toes.

Our mission is to create beautiful, luxurious, sexy shoes that are also sustainable and cruelty-free. Every shoe incorporates European design and quality while using only animal-free, eco-friendly materials. We believe no one should sacrifice their style conscious just to serve their social conscience.

This all started when a vegan friend, often clad in the latest, coolest, designer leather shoes, complained that all non-leather shoes were either a) ugly b) poor quality and c) often both! It got us thinking - why all the fuss about leather anyway? Isn’t there a way, in this modern age, to get away from using animal skins as the ultimate luxury? Traditionally, non-leather shoes were considered inferior due to poor construction, lack of breathability and generally being harder on the environment. We found a way to eliminate every traditional barrier by using high-quality Italian microfibers that are constructed exactly like leather, making them breathable, lightweight and colourfast. Not to mention water-resistant! So you can easily be a nice person while wearing killer heels. We won’t tell anyone.

Compassion for the planet

How can you use synthetic materials and call it eco-friendly? Well, believe it or not, the process of creating microfiber is less polluting to the environment than the process of tanning, factory farming and processing leather. In addition, the materials are free from harmful PVCs, using instead a light polyurethane coating which is gentler on the environment. We also incorporate sustainable practices throughout the production process, from using last boards made from 70% pre-consumer waste to using recycled materials in our boxes, business cards and other printed materials. Who says it's not easy being Green?

Charmoné shoes are made sweatshop-free in Italy and Brazil, ensuring you enjoy quality craftsmanship without contributing to harsh working conditions. In addition to minimizing the impact of manufacturing, Charmoné takes it a step further by donating 5% of all profits to charities that support people, animals and the environment.

We feel incredibly lucky to be doing what we love and hope to help others do the same.

When Inder Bedi was 18 years old, a mahatma challenged him to forego animal products for thirty days. The challenge has now lasted almost two decades and set off a chain of events that has culminated in the founding of MATT & NAT.

As a vegan, Inder quickly became frustrated, unable to find fashion-forward, designer vegan accessories. Once graduating in 1995, he designed his first ever collection and set off to create just that. And he’s never looked back.

Now, thirteen years later, from the Montreal headquarters, he continues to work closely with the creative team to define the MATT & NAT aesthetic. Modern art and minimalist architecture especially influence collections with bold colour choices, structured silhouettes, and an emphasis on heavy hardware. This, with cutting-edge and never before seen vegan materials, has become the MATT & NAT signature.

With new fabrications and concepts each season, MATT & NAT seeks to surprise, question, and provoke. 2008 saw the launch of a nylon collection made entirely of recycled plastic bottles converted into felt. These forays into never before seen materials have intrigued and challenged the creative team, who continue to comb the globe for what’s next.

Amy first started her designer handbag company in 2005. Today, Amykathryn is one of the fastest growing labels in America, with a massive celebrity following. Pink, Hillary Duff, Selma Blair, Sarah Michelle Geller, and Leann Rimes are all huge fans of her bags.

Amy has a deep-rooted passion for Africa, where she travelled as a child. This led her to study anthropology at the University of Arizona. From there she went on to open an art gallery in Scottsdale, eventually beginning her career as a designer in Los Angeles.

"My passion for handbag design is fuelled by the original fabrics I source in Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Indonesia. I love creating my own ‘thread’ that defines a unique designer style. Fabrics tell a story and I am creating a line of lifestyle products with custom fabrics to tell my story."

Each bag is made from animal-friendly faux leather and is hand-printed with beautiful patterns based on the textiles that she fondly remembers from her childhood. The handbags are sewn in a small family-run factory where Amy can oversee the sourcing of materials and labour.

Every season brings a breath-taking surprise of new colours and styles, which makes her bags the hottest arm candy in town. "There are so many aspects of being a designer that are absolutely fantastic. But I’ll have to say the most fulfilling part of my job is seeing my customers make a statement with an Amykathryn bag. It encapsulates my purpose in designing - that is so rewarding!"

Nancy Dong is a truly international designer: born in Taiwan, raised in Northern California, working in Paris and now living in Italy. Her passion for international style was recognised by many major fashion labels including Levi Strauss Co, Ermenegildo Zegna, and BCBG Max Azria.

As a committed vegetarian and a passionate ecologist, Nancy's dream was to combine beauty with function and ecology. When she moved to Italy, Nancy took matters in her own hands and created the Kailia footwear label.

Kailia provides beautiful shoes that are gentle on the planet, cruelty free and elegantly stylish. Real guilt-free fashion: “I believe true beauty harms no-one; the sign of a true style-maker is heart, compassion and making a conscious choice.”

Nancy's Kailia collection is made in Europe using sumptuous faux-leather, water-based glues and pre-consumer recycled footboards. The artisan workers in Italy and Portugal enjoy an above average living wage. All processes are strictly controlled and components certified in writing upon request.

Nancy currently lives and works in Bologna, Italy with her vegetarian tri-athlete husband, and Fookyo the cat.

Created in 2001 by Natalie Dean, Beyond Skin was the first truly fashionable UK vegan footwear brand: “Beyond Skin was born out of me becoming a vegan. I stopped eating dairy and gave up all my leather. Then I thought, right, I’m going to have to replace my wardrobe - but I really struggled. There was no nice footwear around that wasn’t made of leather. So I set upon a mission to bring about style and quality to those that cared.”

Now with two incredible lines of shoes; Beyond Skin and Sui Generis, it’s no surprise celebrity fans are queuing up to be seen in a truly eco-label: “Natalie Portman’s a great fan; she’s a fellow vegan and wore our shoes to the Oscars and the Golden Globes, which is a delight! Also, Cheryl Cole recently wore our shoes for a showbiz night-out with Girls Aloud."

Passionate about animal welfare and the preservation of the planet, Beyond Skin work closely with their factories in England, Spain and India and source all components and fabrics as locally to the factories as possible, to reduce their carbon footprint.

Based in Hove, the Beyond Skin brand continues to go from strength to strength: “Heather, my right-hand woman and I, retreat somewhere to design the collections. Facing the ocean where humans spill-out on the pebbled beaches of Brighton probably influenced this season’s bright, fun prints and bold primary colours against soft pale tones. I think this direction has become a Beyond Skin staple, a combination of our relaxed, seaside lives but with an injection of quirkiness and youthful energy”