Ecological and biodegradable, Wayz shoes take another step towards the
sustainability of the planet. The first collection, "genderless and
unseasonal", will be launched through a crowdfunding campaign.
Recycled tires and shoes, plants, linen, wool, latex and wood: it is from
these materials that wayz are born, ecological and biodegradable
footwear. Pedro Maçana and Daniel Gonçalves, responsible for the startup,
conceived a new brand of footwear and managed to get the products produced
exclusively in Portugal.
The shoes are made manually in the Region of Porto - with partners from
Felgueiras to Ovar, passing through São João da Madeira - and the materials
used are recycled and biodegradable. However, Pedro Maçana says that
"producing a shoe without ecological footprint is not easy".
Although the materials used are accessible, "factories are not yet
used to working with them." The sole is recycled at 70%, with the feature
of existing tires and shoes, but it is not biodegradable. The skin is
metal-free and herbally treated, which together improves the biodegradability
of the product. In the process of composting, in landfills, the skin is
biodegradable in 15 days. The insole is made from linen, wool, latex and wood
and is biodegradable at 90%.
"In Portugal, there are few brands of footwear," Pedro, 42, said
in an interview with P3. This was one of the great reasons for the duo, who met
in the Footwear Design course at the Lisbon School of Design.
"Our goal is to create a brand and sell it in the world, as do
everyone else", but without ever forgetting sustainability as an identity
part of the brand. Creating "ethical" footwear, promoting a
"fair price", through "transparency" with customers, and
appealing to "social responsibility" are the four pillars that give life
to the startup, based in the Science and Technology Park of the University
of Porto (UPTEC).
The first collection, "without gender and without seasonality",
begins in a simpler model and goes to a more complex one. There are four
different, although not "totally distinct", and there are 16 colors
available. Because they were produced in Porto, the founders were inspired by
"the people, the city and the curves of the river". "There is a
conductive line to have a style of our own and own brand", explains Pedro.
Each shoe model has a name "associated with a personality type or a
behavior trait": "The Hedonist" is "a more classic
shoe"; "The Wanderer" is "for backpacking"; "The
Misfit" is "the most irreverent"; and "The Sonder" is
the face of "diversity". Designed "to last", Pedro assures
that the intention is not to have "a luxury product". "We want
to have a quality product that is accessible to the largest number of
people," he adds. Encouraging people to buy fewer products, but better
products, is one of the mottos of the founding duo.
Wayz will launch the first collection in a crowdfunding campaign with Indiegogo. The launch price is 89 euros.
However, it should be taken into account that the shoes will only be produced
after they are purchased, that is, in the just in time mode. Those responsible
point the delivery to September.
The price "is expensive," they admit, but the goal is "to
work to reduce it." However, Peter is also of the opinion that
"nowadays, if we look for a product of this quality, the price is more
than fair". Still, "people need to know why they pay what they pay
for a product," he warns.
For this reason, transparency with customers is fundamental to the founders
of Wayz: "Our will is to show the customer how it is done, by who is made,
with what materials and in what factory". The Startup of Porto
sells directly to the public, without going through intermediaries.
But it is not only with the environment that Wayz cares about: 1% of sales
will be given to the solidarity institution Service of Assistance Organizations
de Maria (SAOM), based in Porto, and reverts to socially vulnerable and homeless
people. "A collaboration on the basis of goodwill," says the founder.
In the future, the duo wants to "move forward" in order to build
even more environmentally friendly sneakers. The will is to "have access
to other types of materials", such as recycled cottons and cork, to
replace the rubber of the sole. "We will try to partner to work in this
direction," explains Pedro. The mission is one: "make this footwear
world a little more ethical."
Wayz is not the first Portuguese footwear brand to focus on
sustainability. Ircycle, in Lisbon, makes
sneakers from the plastic taken from the oceans. And also from this plastic are
made the slippers and sandals of Zouri, founded by two
friends minhotos, who does not use any product of animal origin.
