Laure Babin – Zèta (English version): turning waste into the sneaker of the future
In this episode of On The Way, Laure Babin, founder of the Zèta brand, looks back on her career and shares her vision of more responsible fashion.
The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, right behind oil. Yet every year, millions of pairs of shoes are manufactured from petroleum-derived synthetics, plastics, and animal leather. What if the answer was already hiding in our waste?
That’s the bet Laure Babin chose to take in 2020 when she launched Zèta, a sneaker brand made entirely from recycled materials: grape marc sourced from Italian wineries, corn, coffee grounds developed in partnership with Nespresso, and olive waste transformed in Turkey. Each material more innovative than the last for a carbon footprint two and a half times lower than a traditional sneaker.
In this episode, Laure shares how a gradual awakening, shaped by internships in Cambodia, the Netherlands, and Peru, convinced her it was possible to build a fashion brand that is both desirable AND responsible. She also tells us how, with zero marketing budget, a crowdfunding campaign launched in the middle of COVID turned into a phenomenon 2,700 pre-orders in three weeks and why style must always come before the “eco-friendly” label.
An inspiring conversation about material innovation, Portuguese craftsmanship, and conscious consumption without the guilt.
👉 Learn more about Zèta: https://zeta-shoes.com
👉 Discover their approach: https://www.zeta-shoes.com/en/pages/histoire
The previous episode of On The Way with Laurent Perron, project coordinator at the think tank The Shift Project, as well as all the other episodes, are available on your usual listening platforms.
Happy listening!
Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.