The wines Private member

Sneakers Sourced from the Vine

ARTICLE -
Laure Babin
Laure Babin
Where did your idea, a slightly crazy one at that, of making sneakers from grape pomace come from?

In 2019, I was in my last year of business school in Bordeaux when I became aware of the environmental and social challenges facing the fashion industry. I thought I could have strong global impact with zero-waste sneakers. So when I discovered that a Milanese company had created vegan leather from grape pomace I dove right in. It made perfect sense for a Bordeaux brand!

Where do you source your grape leather?

Our grape leather is produced in Milan. Our suppliers source their raw material at local wineries. For our “Millésime” sneakers, we work directly with wineries in the Bordeaux region.

Is the notion of terroir relevant when it comes to manufacturing sneakers?

Of course. Our activity is tied to craftsmanship and local agriculture. Our shoes are made in Portugal thanks to savoir-faire that is over thirty years old. Working the soil is key, for the grape pomace we use and transform is the fruit of several years of agriculture. And then there is the question of viticulture and the winegrowers with whom we work.

Louis Gaspard d’Estournel shipped his wines to India. What about your sneakers?

For ecological reasons, we don’t ship our shoes by air. Our goal for 2024 is to ship by sail, a bit like winegrowers in the 19th century! Shipping by sail reduces carbon emission by 99% compared to cargo options. It’s incredible. We could store supplies of our shoes in North America for orders coming from the U.S. and Canada.

Cos d’Estournel is all about exoticism and journeys. The sneakers you produce can be seen as a means of transportation. Is traveling essential?

Absolutely. You can’t travel without shoes. Sneakers are part of every journey, every adventure. We may not ship our sneakers to the ends of the Earth but we make travel possible for our customers. And we’ve received pictures of our sneakers in Vietnam, the U.S. and Indonesia, among other places!

Les_baskets_vin_sur_vingt_3

are you of legal drinking age in your country of residence ?

You must be of legal drinking age in the country from where you are accessing this site

Alcohol abuse is bad for your health, please consume in moderation