I don’t know about you, but as sustainable clothing continues to gain traction, I need some environmentally conscious kicks to stay on trend! Climate change has proven to be a global calamity. No doubt about that. The planet continues to suffer from the consequences of depleting natural resources. Since that is the case, why not splurge on quality —and may I add snazzy— 100% premium vegan sneakers? Enter LOCI: The sustainable footwear brand perfect for any lifestyle. LOCI’s methods of embodying their mission of eco-friendly sneakers is nothing short of innovative. LOCI prides themselves on being a vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable shoe brand. They keep you stylish and sustainable by creating their products with various type of non-animal leathers and recycled materials. Jejune spoke with Emmanuel Eribo, the co-founder of LOCI, and touched on LOCI’s mission, future ventures, and their partnership with Nikki Reed. To learn more about LOCI and their contribution to the world of sustainability, please read our exclusive interview below.

Where are you based?
We are primarily based in London but frequent NYC and consider both locations our home. We find that the two cities have a super similar outlook and attitude. Both have their finger on the pulse.

What is the origin story for LOCI?
Many moons ago we had success with another footwear business, but that success was bitter-sweet. Whilst we were amazingly proud of a business that was selling millions of pairs globally, we were aware that we were contributing to a major environmental issue. We thought about how we could address that in the future and that idea lives today in LOCI.

Where does the name LOCI come from?
LOCI comes from the Latin meaning ‘center’. Finding your center means connecting with your spirit. Allow yourself to dwell on your innate goodness. Your center is that intangible place located within your core that is the best version of yourself possible. LOCI is a brand built on that positivity.

What made you decide to create a vegan footwear brand?
We’ve always had a focus on vegan footwear. In fact, our previous venture was a vegan footwear brand so we’ve been in this space for 10 years. Today almost 70% of all footwear is still made from either animal materials, glue, or some other form. In being a brand in the sustainable space we know how challenging it is to stay true to that, for example when you need to do air or sea shipments or when there are things that happen out of your control. One of our pillars is that we at LOCI build premium animal-free products. That's something that we can always live up to and is important to us, plus it’s one of the ways that we contribute to the world of sustainability. The world has moved on from the days of Genghis Khan! There are other, newer, and more innovative materials that are fit for purpose.

LOCI shoes are hand-made from recycled ocean plastic, rubber, and foam, as well as bamboo and natural cork. What made you decide what materials were perfect for LOCI?
We spent a lot of time researching. One of the main issues was that we didn’t want to fall into the trap of using a material that imitated leather. We are not trying to pass for leather, rather we are trying to build something that stands out positively in its own right. For our upper materials, we tried a host of renewable, biodegradable, and recycled materials. In testing different options over many months and checking to see where they measured against our designed outcome, we found this was the best combination of materials. You could say we found our center with this combination!

There are a lot of vegan options for materials these days, do you have a favorite and why?
Yes, we’ve seen corn leather, pineapple leather, grape leather...bring it on, the more the merrier. We have seen massive growth in this space in the last three to four years and we are massive believers in having even more of these alternatives. Again, the position of LOCI is to be more distinctive and not to imitate what we know. It’s about challenging that preconceived notion that leather is better and that we must try to imitate it. The components that we utilize are modern, innovative, and at least, if not more, costly.

You recently partnered with Nikki Reed for your upcoming capsule collection. Can you tell us a little bit about this partnership and the new collection?
Absolutely! Nikki embodies that perfect balance between sustainability and fashion. She isn’t just a mouthpiece. She truly believes and for us, there could be no better partnership. Nikki took some time to understand LOCI, the proposition, and the purpose; and then she got to work with our product and design teams. She had a clear vision for the product. She wanted the do’s and the don’ts and made a fantastic product that we are all super proud of. Her collection has such a beautifully natural feel to it and anyone who knows Nikki will know that these designs are completely her. We are super proud that our team was able to deliver her vision for this partnership.

What lifestyle best fits the LOCI brand?
Wow, we’ve been asked this question a few times and I think it’s never been one that’s been easy to define. We speak to so many of our customers and find that people use them to look casual-smart for work, socially for catching up with friends, and we’ve just supplied pairs for a set of groomsmen for a wedding. LOCI are shoes that you can live in. They are super comfortable, durable, and made with waterproof materials, making them both versatile and practical, in addition to being super easy to clean! Only when you have a pair can you see how well-made they truly are.

Is LOCI interested in expanding to more vegan products besides footwear?
The conversation has come up a few times, expanding the ethos into other product offerings is super attractive but right now the focus is on doing what we are doing to the best of our ability. We are really building something exciting here and it’s super important to make sure we focus on that objective. Within the footwear space we have a lot more coming, already in the advanced development stages, and being tested to make sure it passes the LOCI standard of a premium vegan offering.

Jejune loves that for every pair of LOCI sold, you donate 10% to preserving and protecting sea life. Why is this important to you?
That’s correct! 10% of the profit from each pair sold is put into escrow for our charity partners. It was another thing that we really wanted to do - when talking about making an impact, it was all about going beyond footwear. There are a lot of brands in this space that are in this for the wrong reasons. We thought it was all about making the strong commitment upfront and then sharing with our customer base what we’ve been able to help achieve. We don’t articulate this point enough...it’s something that we need to improve on, but humans are decimating sea life and it’s already having adverse effects on our ecosystem. We want to help raise awareness about this but also make sure that we are actively contributing to the cause.

Shopping eco-friendly is an excellent start to being more sustainable. Are there any other tips you can give a consumer newly entering the sustainable lifestyle?
I think it’s important to mention that we aren’t expecting everyone to give up their cars, flying, eating meat/fish, become anti-dairy, or lose things that bring joy to their lives. What we wanted to do was increase awareness and provide exciting alternatives that allowed them to alter their lifestyle in a form that suits them. It’s all about moderation. We could advocate partaking in Veganuary (Dairy-Free January), considering animal-free alternatives in their fashion, cosmetics, and general consumption. Of course, walking and cycling have benefits but taking public transport also helps. It’s all about providing options.

Has the pandemic affected LOCI in any way? If so how? And how has it made your business stronger?
It’s always funny to hear about any business that the pandemic didn’t impact in some form or shape, either positively or negatively. LOCI, like many businesses, had to review the way that we worked, ensuring our team felt comfortable operating in what was undoubtedly a testing environment. Our factories had delays due to frequent Covid outbreaks during development and production stages that set us back weeks. Some amazing partnerships are on hold till later in 2021 due to the impact that Covid had on their businesses and personnel. Having said all of this, LOCI was always built to be a dynamic business. From the product materials down to our supply chain and distribution, it’s been set up to be as vertically integrated as possible, built to scale. We focus on monthly rather than seasonal production and spend as much time focused on being reactive as we do being proactive. That versatility that has been instilled to manage the pandemic has made us undoubtedly stronger as an enterprise and even more determined.

What have you been doing to stay positive during shelter-in-place?
Staying positive has definitely been the focus over the last shelter period. A lot of reading, working collaboratively via Zoom so that you still get that team feel and can feed off each other's energy. Working out in the temporary home gym (my kitchen) has been nice, as well. The challenge was in not letting the current state of things get into our heads. Finding joy in the little things and building momentum for what we can see is coming. The LOCI wave... :)

What is your motto in life?
We’ve always loved the Facebook motto of “move fast and break things” but I suppose with us we focus a lot more on quotes. Having always been fans of the great Napoleon Bonaparte, we’d go with “Imagination rules the world.” That limitless belief fuels our cavalier attitudes.

Where can we find LOCI?
We’ve got some amazing retail partnerships set up but due to the impacts of the pandemic, some won’t be actualizing these until the later stages of the year and some early 2022. But that has not stopped us teaming forward and making significant gains. The main location is the home of the brand: LOCIWEAR.com

To learn more about LOCI, please follow them via the below platforms:
lociwear.com
Instagram: lociwear

Image copyright LOCI.

LOCI- The Vegan Footwear Brand Built on Positivity