When most people think about eco-friendly apparel they think that it isn’t fashionable or they just don’t know how the clothes are actually made.

A couple months ago I was in San Luis Obispo with my family in our annual mini summer vacation and came across a small store, Hemp Shak that has all that plus bags, accessories and more.

I’d been wanting some walking shoes and I had been thinking of purchasing some eco-friendly ones, as well, to test them out and see how they look and feel.

I came across a brand that I’m familiar with, Simple, and the shoes that grabbed my attention where literately some “simple” carport elastic ones which happen to be vegan friendly.

My 11-year-old nephew didn’t understand the concept and difference from these shoes in his Vans.

It’s pretty simple, again, “simple.”

The clothing in the store is all natural. No chemicals or dyes. Some are made from either recycled materials or organic cotton.

Most of their shoes are made from recycled car tires. According to Simple, 6 pairs of men’s size 9 shoes can be made from a single tire.

Yes, this is a great sustainable way to wear shoes but the best feeling wasn’t only that I was walking on some eco-friendly shoes or that they actually felt comfortable, and still do to this day, but that I introduced my nephew to a different side of how and why things are made.

As I was paying he saw a bracelet made out of white beads and he got pretty excited about it after reading the tag because is stated that it was made by women in Uganda which are paid reasonably, hence a Fair Trade product.

So we left the store talking about Fair Trade, he with his bracelet, which was a gift for his mom, and I with my sustainable shoes.