Arti Upadhyay of Neuaura Shoes has been making and selling vegan shoes for four years. She is passionate about what she does, and that passion has helped her, and her business, survive and thrive in a demanding and challenging industry. In this guest post, she talks about how she got started, and the challenges and rewards of juggling a vegan fashion business. She also talks about her new line of eco-friendly ballerinas!
I landed in the shoe industry by accident a few years after college. I worked for a small sourcing company for many years where I learned all facets of the business, from the creative side to the business side, and it gave me the experience and confidence to start something of my own that I was extremely passionate about. The experience allowed me to combine my creativity and passion for shoes with my love and respect for animals and the environment.
When I was working in the industry, I was evolving both professionally and personally, and I started to apply my vegetarian diet to my apparel and footwear choices. A lot of people make the argument that leather is the by-product of the meat industry, but I didn’t want to have any part of it. The single most important thing that mattered to me was an animal had to give up its life unwillingly, and that is in addition to the torture animals go through in factory farming, greenhouse gases that are emitted, the natural environment that becomes degenerated due to the space needed to raise the animals, and so on. I started to become more and more aware and this knowledge and awareness solidified my decision to create a brand that I knew first-hand would resonate with many people who were on the same plane.
I founded Neuaura in 2007 and now in 2011, the world has changed so much due to the internet and social media. There is such a demand for transparency between brands and their consumers, retailers and media. People are looking for a connection with the brands they endorse so it has to speak to them on many levels. In today’s world, a person cannot just start a brand to get rich quick. They have to be wholeheartedly passionate about it and convey this passion to their audience. There is even a greater demand for this in the eco-friendly and vegan world as there is a responsibility that is automatically inherited and expected as you are part of a movement.
Our fall selling season is now underway. We have a lot of exciting styles from killer black pumps that every girl should have in her closet to winter boots with soft, plush, faux fur lining. People stick to basic colors in the Fall so we have to focus more on the silhouette and using interesting, durable materials. For our Spring/Summer ’12 collection, we have added a lot of casual styles using canvas and ultra suedes throughout. The line has an element of Americana but with a Neuaura twist. We also have very exciting news for Spring 12 as we are launching a new brand called Reneu. Our first collection with this brand consists of eco-friendly memory foam ballerinas and each pair comes with a cotton canvas travel bag that folds up nicely. 5% of our annual net sales is donated to charities that protect and preserve animals and the environment.
Neuaura is a manifestation of myself and I believe in the brand and feel passionate about it from all aspects. When I design a collection, I have to love each style and want to wear it before I try to sell it to anyone. It is a lot of hard work and dedication but when you believe in something, the reward outweighs everything else. I encourage everyone and anyone to follow their heart and go after what they believe in.
