della terra is an ethical and inclusive brand continuously working towards sustainability. Meatless Movement recently had a chat with Founder & Designer Emily Landsman.
Emily told us that she was inspired to create what was missing from her wardrobe while recovering from COVID-19. These transitional, inclusive styles are completely versatile footwear – della terra is focused on creating real shoes for real people.
Tell us more about yourself, please
I am originally from New York but now live in Boston and Cape Cod. After completing a Masters of Fashion Design at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, I began designing shoes in the New York fashion world.
I have been a shoe designer for about 18 years and worked on many brands before starting my own business; including Vera Wang, Alice + Olivia, Diane von Furstenberg, Via Spiga, Vince Camuto.
Peta-Approved Vegan | Each Pair Plants a Tree
della terra | vegan footwear
After working in the contemporary fashion footwear space, I loved designing shoes, but wondered if there was a more environmentally responsible way to create fashion and shoes. I knew it had to be a way that did not utilize animal products.
della terra was born during the pandemic, a time when I realized that there was a void in the contemporary fashion space when it came to sustainable footwear. We don’t want to offer compromises, but instead our product includes fashion, sustainability and comfort.
Footwear with less Footprint
della terra | vegan footwear
We are Peta-Approved Vegan which means our suppliers, factories and all parts of our process have certified that they do not use any animal products of any kind.
Veganism is the single most important step we can make towards sustainability. The ethical implications of using animal products are distressing on their own. Something that is also extremely concerning is the toxic and wasteful processes that go into tanning and treating leather products. This is why I knew what we created had to be 100% vegan.
Every piece is made to last beyond the season.
della terra | vegan footwear
Our della signature slide – this style is an easy and accessible slip-on that incorporates hand crafted details as well as cushioned footbed.
Our Harper Chelsea boot – a pull-on boot that goes with everything on a translucent chunky sole, perfect for living in all the time.
Our River flip-flop – this style is inspired by water and it’s transparent bottom mimics the waves themselves, while incorporating custom stitching details into this new classic. We make this style for everyone who wears between a women’s size 5-14.5 or a men’s size 3.5-13.
Also, my maiden name is “Landsman.”
Emily – della terra | vegan footwear
della terra means “of the land” in Italian and the earth is truly the inspiration for everything we do. It is so important that the product empowers people to appreciate our planet as well as embrace what they love about fashion and shoes.
I am so grateful to the people who have worked on della terra alongside me and have believed in the brand from the start. David Jassem (our COO), Airlinne Sullivan (Product Development), Diana Bassett (our publicist) and my husband Derek Archila, who continuously encouraged me to take the leap to start my own business.
Our customers have been overwhelmingly supportive of the brand. We truly have the best group of people behind us, but then again that makes sense because those are the type of people who love fashion and the planet.
Small Steps, Big Change
della terra | vegan footwear
We plant at least one tree for every single pair of shoes we sell. We have built this in to our pricing model from the start and it is something we will never compromise on. Reforestation is an extremely important step to preserving our finite natural resources. We are proud to partner with One Tree Planted who specializes in planting trees where they are needed the most.
Buy Better, Keep Forever
della terra | vegan footwear
We are thrilled that vegan and sustainable businesses are trending. There is a global realization that we cannot continue making products the way we used to and I believe the trend is largely driven by the customer demanding better practices and products. We are proud to be part of the innovation in the space proving that we can deliver sustainable shoes without compromising fashion.
It used to be that products could either be sustainable or fashionable or comfortable. We believe these are not compromises anyone should have to make. We provide as much information as we can about how the products are made and what they are made of so that transparency can help to tell the story.
della terra | vegan footwear
🌎 Sustainable, Ethical
👀 As seen in @forbes @glamourmag
🏆 Global Footwear Awards
🌱 @peta approved Vegan ♻️ B Corp pending
🌳 @onetreeplanted every pair
all images courtesy of della terra | vegan footwear