Finding a pair of truly sustainable sneakers is hard. Unlike a simple t-shirt, sneakers are constructed from an average of 23 parts, which makes the sourcing and construction complex. It’s why there are few shoe brands that try to be eco-friendly. It’s also why I’ve often bought second-hand shoes over new. However, when I heard about Purified, a new sneaker brand making plastic-free shoes, I knew I had to try them. Here’s my review of their Walden sneaker after a few months of wear, and how it compares to previous sustainable sneakers I’ve tried.
Who Is Purified?
Purified is an independent sneaker brand hailing from London, U.K., with a focus on creating shoes that are plastic-free and made with natural materials. They launched their first shoe – the Abaca – in April 2024, and quickly rose to sustainable fashion stardom, with their shoes being worn by Prince William to the 2024 Earthshot Awards.
I think we can all agree that we want to see less plastic in our clothes. However, it is one of the principle textiles being used in fashion, and that goes for shoes as well. You may think that the answer to plastic-free shoes is leather, but even leather needs to be coated in plastic for it to not mould or biodegrade.
Purified instead uses novel materials like Mirum (an eco-friendly vegan leather made without any plastic) and Bananatex. They pride themselves on the biodegradability of their shoes, to the point where they have conducted studies on how the shoes impact soil health, showing that their shoes, placed in the ground at the end of their life, may even boost soil health.
Purified Plastic-Free Sneakers Review
I’m not a sneaker-head by any means, but I do love a pair of everyday sneakers. I walk an average of 5,000 steps a day (in addition to exercise!) and I like to wear comfortable, supportive trainers on my errands and walks. I also much prefer a pair of white sneakers over any other colour. While white shoes are harder to maintain, they add a pop of lightness and informality to an outfit, and also help to extend my petite frame when I’m wearing white socks with them.
Purified offers a range of sneakers in a range of muted colours: white, black, white-and-black, cream. They have three core styles:
- Abaca: High-top trainers with a canvas-like upper
- Hevea: Low-top trainers with a bowling-shoe style
- Walden: Low-top trainers with a thicker sole and trainer-like style
I went for the Walden sneaker (gifted) as it was most akin to what I normally wear, and also looked to be the most supportive design. However, I do like that all three of their styles are quite classic and also unisex.
What Are Purified’s Plastic-Free Sneakers Made Out Of?
My Walden plastic-free sneakers are made from three principle materials:
- Upper: Mirum
- Sole: Pliant natural latex
- Linings: Organic cotton
All three of these materials are considered ‘natural’, although it’s worth noting that ‘natural’ has no legal definition. I really do think that it’s important to move past sweeping sustainability claims and look at the composition of our clothes, and in this case, I was very happy.
Mirum is a plant-based, plastic-free alternative to leather that I touted as one of the best innovative options in my guide to vegan leather. Organic cotton is also great to see. And Pliant is a new material to me, but one I like the sound of – like Mirum, it’s also plant-based and plastic-free, made from the sap of the Hevea brasiliensis tree.
Outside of this, Purified doesn’t give any other details on the materials used in its shoe, save for the above diagram. So, I’m also guessing my shoe is made from:
- Insoles: Organic cotton and pliant
- Laces: Tencel
And, because I’m picky, I’d like to know what kind of glue is used, and what textile is used on the embroidered emblem. I’ll be emailing Purified to ask for this!
For my final point on production: it’s great to see the shoes are made in Portugal. This is a country known for its shoe-making industry, and it has both a national minimum wage and minimum working age of 16.
What Are The Shoes Like To Wear?
On arrival, I excitedly open up my sneakers and put them on right away. The shoes are quite weighty, which I attribute to the Pliant soles. They’re also surprisingly firm, with the Mirum upper giving the shoe a lot of structure. Once on my feet, the shoes immediately felt comfortable and bouncy. I really do enjoy walking in them, and after a while, began to opt for them over my other pair of everyday shoes.
It’s worth saying: I like to run for exercise and over time have had issues with over-pronation, so I also look for sneakers to give me good support and comfort, and can house my specialist insoles. For this review however, I did start off by wearing the shoes with their original insoles. These are made from organic cotton and pliant, and felt ok, but they didn’t have much give. The shoes were also pretty wide, and I could feel my feet slipping a little when wearing them.
When I took the insoles out, I also found one of them was a little wrinkled compared to the other, which could be a quality issue. However, since replacing them with my specialist insoles, the shoes fit perfectly on my feet.
My Rating of Purified Sneakers: 9/10
Overall, I’m very happy with my Purified sneakers. In fact, I’m so happy with them, that I was motivated to write this review! Out of all the sustainable sneakers I’ve worn, these are up there with my Veja sneakers, which is saying something, considering how well-established Veja is. I also think these shoes are great value for money. They’re priced incredibly competitively with other brands producing similar sneakers without the same sustainability credentials.
Going forwards, I would like to see Purified provide further clarity on all materials used. This is especially true if they’re eco-friendly, like the tencel laces! And it would be fun to see some limited edition designs or artist collaborations!
Have you tried Purified’s plastic-free sneakers? I’d love to know your thoughts!
