Notice, this article is written by jtouchofstyle.com. The original post link https://www.jtouchofstyle.com/remarkable-sustainable-fashion-honest-review-vivaia-shoes/
When Vivaia shoes reached out to me to try their shoes, I only said yes because I thought the idea of sustainable footwear was impressive. Yet, you don’t get just one review in this post, but three different opinions along with some facts about the brand.
Quote of the day: “We all make up excuses, and very often they prevent us from living our Best Life.” Neti from Madam Too Much
Thanks to my friend Neti for the wonderful quote above. Comfortable and stylish shoes are not impossible to find anymore.
I’ve jumped on the sustainable bandwagon to a degree. If there are things we can do to keep our earth healthier, I always love to know about it. Many of the sustainable brands are out of my budget, so finding ones that don’t cost an arm and a leg are something I am excited about sharing with you.
I’ll give you all the facts below, but spoiler alert, the three of us loved our Vivaia shoes (and yes there is a discount below).
1-What is Sustainable?
Green Coast defines sustainability as environmental sustainability that occurs when natural resources are preserved. Many fashion brands have been working hard to create more sustainable products. I also believe that part of being sustainable is working hard to find ways to wear what we have in our closets instead of always buying more. That may seem the opposite of this post since I’m introducing you to a new brand, but comfortable shoes are always on my radar.
And how fabulous that this Vivaia brand of shoes is sustainable. More about that is below.
Insider tip: You can donate any gently used shoes to the recycle program at DSW.
Beyond the shoe itself, the packaging is made almost entirely from recycled materials too.
2- What are Vivaia Shoes Made Of?
These shoes are made from recycled bottles. Isn’t that so remarkably cool?? The company uses a 3D machine to create a seamless design for these shoes that create zero waste.
This makes the shoes vegan and very eco-friendly. The company also touts that they are machine washable; however, the three of us chose shoes that say you shouldn’t put them in the washing machine. They are still easy to clean though with a wet cloth.
We all had to do this to our shoes after walking through the dirt this day.
If you are interested to find a pair on the Vivaia site that is machine washable, I’ve shown a screenshot above to show where you find that information.
Just click on the shoe you like, and look under the black box that says “Add to Cart”. You can also find all of the relevant details of that particular shoe listed there.
3-How Do They Feel?
If you’ve never tried any shoes like this, you might be worried that recycled bottles would create a rough texture for shoes. That is not the case. The recycled bottles are knit into a material that is stretchy and soft. It is very malleable and the fact they are seamless means you don’t have to worry about a seam rubbing against your feet.
The company promotes that the material is breathable. Let me give you my comparisons regarding that statement. They are certainly too warm to wear on our 100-plus-degree days here in Arizona. That temperature is much better suited for sandals. However, when the three of us wore these for our trip to the Grand Canyon, they didn’t make our feet sweat because the temperature was only in the ’80s.
Insider tip: Because the shoes are a knitted material, they are also very lightweight.
4-Comfort
Now the important part of the review since as we get older, we want comfort and style in our shoe choices.
Let me give you the breakdown for each of our shoes.
Charlotte’s blue pair is called the Liraz and they also come in orange, ivory, and ebony. She is ecstatic with her shoes for 3 reasons
1-My mom LOVES the color
2-The heel is so fun and funky
3-Comfortable. The heel is only 1.5 inches high so they were easy to walk in. She wore them to church after our Grand Canyon trip and kept them on an entire day.
Lesley’s black pair is called the Jolie and also comes in blue, ivory, and denim.
Her words, “I love these shoes. I expected them to be tight but they are not. They have just enough stretch to hug yet not be painful for my high arch. The heel is fun but very easy to walk in.”
My brown booties are called the Emery and are also available in ivory. When I first tried them on they fit but I had thick socks on and they seemed to be tight after an hour. The second time I wore them, I wore my Sheec liners and this didn’t happen so they must have stretched. I love that these have a heel, but it’s less than 2 inches so very easy to walk in.
You can see how I wore these same booties with a rust jumper here.
And I’ve also tried out their newest style called the Aria 5. You can see the outfit here.
5-Sizing
I’ll give you a breakdown of the sizing. We ordered in UK sizes per the company request, but I see they have US sizing now available.
Charlotte did size up for her pair and said they feel great.
Lesley wore her normal size, and you can see where her heel hits on the shoe. She also states they feel great.
I ordered my normal size thinking I wouldn’t wear thick socks with them. If you live in a cold area and like to wear thick socks, I would size up. In fact, I wished I had sized up just so I could have the option of socks vs liners.
6-Where are Vivaia Shoes Made?
Vivaia shoes are made in Dongguan, China. This could be a disadvantage if you are looking for products made in the USA.
Yet, the shipping was very fast as I received the shoes we ordered in less than a week.
7-Vivaia vs Rothys
The Vivaia shoes remind me of the Rothys shoes I’ve seen many women rave about. Personally, I have never tried Rothy’s because I was worried there wasn’t any arch support and they seemed too flat.
Yet, I wanted to give you a comparison from a reliable source. I found a blog called Schmiggy Reviews comparing the two brands, and in summary, they said: “We did find VIVAIA shoes much more comfortable because they’re made with a finer knit pattern and they’re just as durable as Rothy’s shoes”.
8-Variety of Vivaia Shoes
As a shoeaholic I was SUPER impressed with all of the variety offered by Vivaia shoes. Not only are there flats, sneakers, boots, and heels, but they have a selection of pointed toes, rounded toes, and even square-toed shoes.
The reason I thought this would be so appropriate for my readers is the heel heights were not too high and I felt that all of the shoes could be worn by older women like us.
And then the colors were impressive. Yes, we all like to have the basic colors in our shoe wardrobe, but I loved seeing how Vivaia shoes also included some fun colors, prints and even details like bows and ribbons.
Make sure to check out the Vivaia site, because I bet you’ll be impressed too.
9-Price
The price is very in line with the other comfortable shoes I’ve included on my blog in the past. Some of the shoes are around $70 and a couple are just over $100. What’s even better is I can offer you 18% off with the code, JTS when you use my link.
The best part is that you can choose the free shipping option if you don’t mind waiting a week for them to be delivered.
And as I always suggest when we are shopping online (here’s a reminder with my post about tips for online shopping), it’s important to know the return policy before you fall in love with the shoes. For Vivaia shoes, there are free returns or exchanges for eligible items in their original, unworn condition within 14 days of delivery.
I feel like the company knows a thing or two about customer service and has tried to make the online shopping process as wonderful as they can. It’s always hard to trust a shoe company when you can’t try them on until you get them. But I think you will be happy with Vivaia Shoes.
Details
These Vivaia shoes were gifted to the three of us to promote on Instagram IF WE LIKED THEM. I was not paid to post about them or asked to give a good review if we weren’t happy with them.
I do have a 18% discount code for you. Use the code, JTS, when you go through my link, and I may receive a small commission if you purchase.
FYI, I rarely work for products only at this stage of the game, however, I know everyone is always interested in options for comfortable shoes, so I wanted to be able to honestly try them out and give you all of the information.
The fact that they are sustainable and within my budget for quality shoes played into the equation also.
Honestly, I am excited to work with Vivaia shoes again in the future.
My Goal
Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.
My hope is that you get ideas and inspiration from Charlotte, Lesley, and myself. It’s not about copying what we wear, but about using what you already have and updating items along the way.
Most of all it’s getting us to think differently and dare I say, have fun?
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that the text that shows up in a different color is usually a link to either another post, another site or a product? Some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Jodie’s Touch of Style gets a small commission at no extra cost to you. I do appreciate you supporting the brands that make this blog possible!
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