COCLico
Womens Signature Shoe Collection
Sandra Canselier is a fourth-generation shoemaker from France. After growing up in Europe, working in the US, traveling in South East Asia, she decided to move to New York City, where she had long wanted to live. She then launched her own brand, naming it “Coclico” , from the red poppy flowers ("coquelicot" in French) that she loves. Although she is French, Sandra loves the energy of New York. She is a real Down Town girl and could not have opened the store anywhere else but Manhattan.
Sandra feels that inspiration can come from anywhere and that it is just a matter of free association. She gets inspired from different concepts, art, architecture, music and literature. For instance, the first ideas for SS 09, were conceived form Japanese woodcuts of the floating world (Ukiyo e) and broaded into forms and a palette of life in the sea.
Coclico shoe design is a synthesis of style, color, material, craftsmanship and comfort. To design well is to intimately understand each element, and be curious of its potential. Our intention, every season, with each collection, is to create sophisticated, unique, quality shoes. This process requires imagination, assorted expertise, and a “hands-on” approach to shoemaking. The rewards can be remarkable, or pleasingly subtle, as in the delicate balance of strength and lightness.
Specifics include finely tuned lasts, quality footbeds, artisanal leathers in signature hues, and uniquely sculptural heels. It’s how we stand apart; never compromising what Coclico represents and believes in. To philosophize about truly good design, our work can’t end with a shoe. To make a difference in the world, we must apply this same creativity to our footprint.
Coclico is starting to look at all of the components of our product so that we can start to make earth-friendly choices.
COMMITMENTS
Coclico will continue to search for more sustainable materials and methods of doing business. It is a challenge to understand the full impact of the choices that we make. Finding traceable, environmentally-friendly options and reliable suppliers can be daunting. We hope to encourage higher and higher standards of quality, innovation, and sustainability in our industry.
Eco Conscious is about making healthy business decisions. Coclico is tapping our creative energy to rethink the shoe industry. Issues of waste, carbon, toxicity and human rights are too easily ignored when work is delegated to countries with weak environmental or labor laws. To promote a healthier, cleaner product, we share some essential steps.
Change the supply chain by rewarding certified and sustainable companies. These entrepreneurs are game-changers, attempting to eliminate unnecessary pollution and waste. Their integrity deserves our dollars as much as possible. We work with companies who feel as we do. For example, by designing our footwear with accredited leather, we refuse the unnecessary contamination at cheaper, dirtier tanneries.
Affirm that the tenets of human rights are indisputable and enforced. Coclico footwear is developed and produced in Spain because of their exquisite abilities and like-minded goals. Of all the shoe-producing countries, we believe Spain and our factory earn the highest marks for their livable wages, safety standards, health care and environmental law. In most cases, our suppliers are local to the shoe factory. Less transportation equals less carbon.
Be accountable, by documenting our environmental claims and carbon credit offsets. This is both important and complicated. Besides inspecting suppliers ourselves, we look for independent agencies to verify environmental standards. This undoubtedly works best in countries with clear environmental mandates. We can’t yet verify every stage of every component, but our techniques are improving. In New York City, we offset our company’s footprint with carbon credits.
Keep up the conversation, because every opinion matters. The goal is for every company to be “green”, making the adjective obsolete. In the meantime, we need to read the fine print, ask questions and take pride in our choices. As our experience proves, positive change comes slowly. But there is no doubt that Coclico is ahead of the curve.
MATERIALS
Leather ~Though there is controversy around the eco-friendliness of leather, we find significant factors that compel us to use it. First, leather is a by-product of the meat industry so it would be wasteful to discard the skins. Secondly, it is an unparalleled material for the type of shoes that we make. Lastly, we can encourage better tanning practices by using pressure within the industry.
We are using more vegetable tanned leathers. These leathers have a beautiful, hand-finished patina from tanning agents derived from bark, fruit, and seeds. We know that sustainability is not as simple as using veg-tanned leather. It's about our tanneries maintaining environmentally responsible practices. We like to reward tanneries who can prove certified standards with our business. This includes water quality maintenance, efficiency practices, and chemical sequestration. It is also desirable to use local sources close to the shoe factory whenever possible.
When we do use chrome tanned leather, we are working with tanneries that adhere strictly to EU regulations for water quality maintenance, efficiency practices, and chemical sequestration.
Wood ~We recognize that a renewable resource like wood is only sustainable if the rate of harvest is balanced by careful selection of trees to keep the forest, and all the life within it, healthy. It is a complicated process to ensure that the wood cut responsibly from the forest becomes the wood that is used for our components. We are working through the chain-of-custody to make sure our wood is harvested with respect. Our wood components are sustainably harvested under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification.
Cork ~Cork can be harvested to ensure that the tree is not injured. We use real cork in our clogs and wedges and recycled cork in our hidden platforms. Our cork is FSC-certified so we know that the health of the cork trees is not jeopardized by careless extraction.
Hardware ~ Most of our hardware is lead-free & nickel free. It’s also made with a percentage of recycled metals.
Internals ~When available, we use recycled PU foam with crushed olive pits (indigenous to the area where the foam is recycled) for its anti-microbial properties.
Our adhesives are a mix of water-based and solvent-based. We are working to eliminate the use of solvent based adhesives in our shoes.
CARBON OFFSETS~ Coclico recognizes the difficulty of truly offsetting all of the emissions from the very complicated process of shoe making. Since we are an international company with international suppliers, we do not always have access to information about the amount of energy being used to move our supplies to Mallorca, where the shoes are made. We try to use local materials as much as possible. We also purchase carbon offset credits from Native Energy, a well-respected carbon offset company. Our offsets are based on Coclico office and employee use of energy. Our offsets help finance a wind energy project for the town of Greensburg, KS. After a devastating tornado destroyed 95% of the town, the residents made the bold pledge to build the greenest town in America. To learn more about this cool project, view the progress at www.nativeenergy.com
PACKAGING & PROMOTION~Packaging is another area where creative solutions can reduce impact. We’ve recently switched to 100% recycled shoe boxes and vegetable based inks. And we think they’re so cute that you’ll find your own creative reuses for them. We always use recycled paper and vegetable inks for our brochures. And the Coclico boutique provides a sharp little cloth tote bag with store purchases.
Coclico Collection
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Store Hours and Location
Coclico
275 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 965-5462
Monday to Wednesday: 12:00pm - 7:00pm
Thursday to Saturday: 12:00pm - 7:30pm
Sunday: 12:00pm - 6:00pm
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