Lily Cole has designed the shoes to help raise money for Sky Rainforest Rescue
Lily Cole has launched her first footwear collection with the French ecological shoe and accessory brand, Veja.
The model and actress has created the limited edition shoe collection as part of her work as ambassador for Sky Rainforest Rescue – a partnership between Sky and WWF to help protect one billion trees in Brazil.
Following the success of her sell-out jewellery collection made from Amazonian wild rubber in 2013, Lily has collaborated with Veja, who use Amazonian wild rubber in the soles of their trainers, to raise awareness of the versatility of the naturally occurring material.
The Amazon rainforest is the only place on earth where rubber trees grow in the wild and their sap, known as liquid latex, can be extracted by rubber tappers without damaging or cutting down the trees. Veja works with local rubber tapping communities including those in the Sky Rainforest Rescue project area in Acre. They buy the rubber at a price that guarantees a better income for the rubber tappers and enables them to keep the trees standing.
Lily has created a range of Veja ‘Taua’ style canvas trainers in three of the hottest colour palettes for summer. The design celebrates the smaller flora and fauna of the rainforest – from the delicate wild mushroom to the enchanting hummingbird. Lily’s inspiration for the design came from her 2012 trip to the Amazon where she saw the breath-taking beauty of butterflies, birds, dragonflies and plants that depend on the eco-system of the Amazon rainforest to survive.
Lily Cole commented: “The survival of the rainforest depends on managing its resources. With all eyes of Brazil this summer, my collection not only taps into the SS14 flat shoe trend, but also shows how wild Amazonian rubber can be used to make desirable products for people’s everyday lives. During my trip to the Amazon, I saw firsthand the crucial part that Sky Rainforest Rescue plays in creating demand for wild Amazonian rubber for companies like Veja, and making the rainforest worth more standing.”
The limited edition collection will be available to buy online and through Offspring concession stores in Selfridges, London and Manchester, and Topshop, Oxford Street. Prices start at £55 for the low top Veja ‘Taua Amazon’ trainer in Oxford Grey, to £65 for mid top Veja ‘Taua Amazon’ in Clementine and Nautico.
For every pair sold, Sky will donate £10 to Sky Rainforest Rescue to help support the livelihood of rubber tappers and equip them to tap six more trees, helping to protect the rainforest.
Sky and WWF work with the local government in Acre, northwest Brazil, to tackle deforestation by enabling local people to make a fair living from sustainable rainforest products such as rubber.
Lily Cole’s Veja footwear collection for Sky Rainforest Rescue is on sale now. For more information, please visit www.skyrainforest.com