Meet Will Verona, Founder at Zero Plastic Footwear Brand: PURIFIED.

Tell us about PURIFIED.

PURIFIED is a zero-plastic, non-toxic, completely natural footwear brand based out of London. Since we began our journey four years ago, our mission was to create shoes that consider the entire product life cycle, without sacrificing style and comfort, of course. As such, we focus on self-reliant and regenerative materials like banana fibres and latex, rather than cotton which requires a lot of attention, watering and toxic pesticides. However, the rather large cherry on top is once our shoes have stepped their final step they are buried and actually enrich the soil, enabling plant growth more than the standard industry compost, a fact scientifically proven by SATRA.

So far we’ve released two different shoes that come in a variety of styles and colours. The ABACA is our canvas shoe made of Bananatex’s banana fibre upper and NFW’s PLIANT sole. The HEVEA uses a leather alternative MIRUM upper, also produced by NFW, as well as the PLIANT sole.

These shoes are the best representation of our design that is intent on protecting the planet, but is also inspired by it. Our soles have a unique comfort system inspired by the motion of waves, with a grip sole inspired by the texture of brain coral. Combined with the durable and water-resistant materials we use, our shoes are sustainability, comfort and style focused in equal measure.

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

When I was working as a shoe designer in 2017 I visited Sri Lanka on a factory visit and came across a 50m high landfill surrounded by villages – Meethotamulla. It was known by the locals as “Trash Mountain,” and beyond the toxic damage it was causing to the soil, and thus human health, it would soon collapse with tragic consequences in a landslide. For me this was quite the wake-up call; from there I vowed to start a truly circular shoe company and inspire change in the toxic footwear industry.

It’s still shocking to me that the industry is producing 25 billion shoes a year with the average person likely to own over 250 pairs in their lifetime. A statistic that particularly shocks me is that the footwear industry is responsible for 1.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. For context, the global aviation industry accounts for 1.9%. Many people feel guilty about taking a flight, but most don’t even consider what they’re wearing on their feet or what they’re hoarding in the closet.

So, as soon as the pandemic hit, like many entrepreneurs I was keen to make the most of my spare time. I finally made the jump and kickstarted PURIFIED. Little did I know where we’d end up.

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

PURIFIED is still a very young company and only launched in late April this year. But like I said above, the PURIFIED journey truly began four years ago. After making the jump, I’ve spent four years designing, researching and sourcing to create our zero-plastic shoes.

From the very start, at sourcing expositions or in Zoom calls, everyone called our footwear “the impossible shoe.” Being the way I am, this only energised me. Every negative comment hit me like a strong cup of coffee.

We always wanted a canvas shoe and a leather alternative. So after filtering through material providers it boiled down to two remarkable companies doing wonders with completely natural materials. NFW’s MIRUM upper and PLIANT sole are durable, responsibly sourced and totally zero-plastic. Bananatex are using banana fibres (used in shipping rope) for their strong and completely water-resistant canvas. Combined with my designs, I knew we could create some remarkable shoes.

However, we had to build the shoes. Therefore, we started working with artisanal shoemakers in Portugal to bind the shoe without toxic adhesives, something used by all major manufacturers. My friends in Portugal even helped us redesign a machine in order to sew the upper and sole together without requiring any toxic glues.

After going through hundreds of prototypes, it was amazing to launch in April this year and I am really proud of what we’ve achieved so far.

What can we hope to see from PURIFIED in the future?

This is just the start. We’re already looking into designs for other shoes whether it be new materials or dyes. We’re searching for ways to boost our footwear offering and of course, we’re on the hunt for even more planet-first innovations that improve our shoes but also the outlook of people wearing them.

Our philosophy is aptly summarised by our slogan – Return to Earth. Not only are our shoes already naturally circular and planet first, returning to the natural cycle of the earth on final wear. We want them to inspire wider stakeholders and help solve the environmental crisis that is perpetuated by the shoe industry. We aim to help rekindle the broken relationship between man and nature and create within our means and to foster care and gratitude for the world around us.

Ultimately whether it is going for a walk in the woods, throwing rubbish in the right bin or becoming increasingly conscious of the planet, we’re here to inspire a return to earth with every step.