When I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Kahalani, earlier this year at Coterie, I was thrilled to see his booth filled to the brim with a neat, colorful assortment of trainers that resemble a hybrid cross between Vans and Keds. However, most intriguing, was a sign with the image of a shoe and a plastic bottle, emblazoned atop read the text, “This Was A Bottle.”

Daniel is charismatic, knowledgeable, and, most importantly, passionate in his work. He excitedly spoke to us about DNA Footwear and their new sustainable collection “This Was A Bottle.” From up-cycled textiles, including plastic bottles, ethical manufacturing, recycled packaging, and much more, DNA Footwear is a product of love, pride, and hope for the future of ingenuity regardless of profession or industry. Please read further to learn more about DNA Footwear.

Where are you based?
DNA is a Brooklyn based company established in 2004.

How did you get started in fashion?
I started working in a shoe store as a stock boy and quickly became a manager, then established knowledge in buying and operations.

What attracted you to design footwear?
I was always into the development of products, understanding consumer needs and applying that knowledge into buying and development.

After opening my stores, the next natural step was to get into design. As a retailer of multiple brands, and working directly with the end consumer, I was able to see a gap in the market, something that people were looking for. Also seeing the pros and cons of how different brands operated helped me to design something that I felt would really connect with my customers.

Tell us about the beginnings of DNA Footwear?
DNA started in 2004 with a passion and a dream, our first store was in Bensonhurst Brooklyn. We were a multi branded retailer focused on unique styles and quality products. From there we rapidly expanded across Brooklyn’s most popular neighborhoods, establishing a reputation for good selection of styles and personalized customer service.

What was the inspiration for the brand?
The brand originated as multi-branded locations, but with rapid changes in retail and online business changing the playing field, we had to come up with a plan to have quality footwear, which is eco-friendly, with healthier margins in order to ensure business longevity.

Your brand places a strong emphasis on sustainability, especially your "This Was A Bottle" collection. Can you tell us about this collection, and how it works?
Getting into the sustainable footwear business was a calling for many years, as our loyal customers are very in tune to eco-friendly products and we had many requests for sustainable or vegan products. The more I explored this sector of fashion, the more I noticed there were many ways to improve production methods and materials.

I first started noticing most "sustainable" shoe lines out there are direct-to-consumer and not available to retail partners. This impacts the retail prices as brands calculate marketing margins in their retail price. My mission is to produce a sustainable product that is affordable and available to our wholesale retail consumers. The goal here is that everyone wins, the consumer, the retailer, the factories, and most important — mother Earth.

I wanted to make sure if we produce a sustainable footwear line, it has to be sustainable and no cutting corners. All aspects are important to me, from materials and their origin, to having factories understand what our goals are. Using fabric uppers made out of post consumer plastic bottles to organic laces, interchangeable inner soles using recycled foam with natural cork and organic cotton for a cozy comfort feel. As for packaging, we use recycled cardboard boxes as well as recycled tissue paper. We cut out all unnecessary shoes stuffing that usually ends up in the trash.

What inspired you to start this collection?
Everything mentioned above, as well as, we must take care of our planet and give back.

You also use recycled packaging and tissue. What is your procedure when sourcing your sustainable fabrics and packaging?
All partners and suppliers must have certification of the products they are producing. All specs must be available for us to see, where and how they are impacting the carbon footprint and water consumptions. Once you find the right suppliers and establish the right relationship — it's go time.

Why is being sustainable important to you?
It is important to me because it makes a difference to the environment; it's been way too long that we neglected the carbon footprint and the negative impact we leave behind when producing fast fashion.

What changes would you like to see implemented by other fashion brands to improve their sustainability efforts?
Fast fashion brands need to make serious changes in the way they are producing and the amounts they are producing. Companies are only looking at the bottom line without even thinking about what they leave behind.

Any new projects in the works for DNA Footwear?
Our focus is to evolve our sustainable line and keep researching new ways to produce a more sustainable product that will also lead us into accessories and apparel.

What is your motto in life?
Live and give, we are responsible for the planet and, therefore, we must give back to mother nature — what she has been giving us. We must look at our impact on the environment and keep revolutionizing the way we make products.

Please list any websites and/or social media that you would like Jejune to promote?
dnafootwear.com
freepeople.com ( style hope on their site)
Instagram: dnafootwear

Sustainability Runs In The Genes: Talks With Daniel Kahalani Of DNA Footwear