Leonardo DiCaprio Just Invested in this Hollywood-Backed Vegan Sneaker Brand

WEAR

Nov 7

British sneaker brand Løci has secured a £4 million fundraising round for its sustainable, cruelty-free shoes.

Oscar-winning actor and long-time environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio, has invested in the vegan British sneaker brand Løci, as part of their £4 million fundraising round. He joins a growing list of high-profile Hollywood supporters of the brand, including Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Olivia Wilde and Eva Longoria.

“I am proud to be an investor in Løci, a brand dedicated to minimizing its environmental impact, and centered around creating cruelty-free, ethical footwear,” said DiCaprio in a statement. According to the brand, DiCaprio’s involvement will help the brand to amplify its mission to a wider global audience.

The sneaker brand’s aim is to protect the planet and animals, which is why they opt for innovative, sustainable, 100% vegan materials.

“The idea behind Løci was to innovate in an area where people weren’t necessarily doing things differently. For us, being sustainable and cruelty-free was key,” co-founder Emmanuel Eribo told Footwear News.

Handmade in Portugal, the sneakers’ uppers are crafted from recycled plastic from the coast of Europe and Africa, with each pair preventing 20 plastic bottles from entering oceans and landfills, according to Løci. Cork, harvested from bark is used for the soles and insoles, while bamboo and recycled nylon are used to line the shoes. Even the soles are made from recycled rubber. The brand offers multiple styles, including high- and low-top sneakers and unisex options.

Løci states that it has prevented 982,000 plastic bottles from being discarded since being founded in 2021. In addition, the fashion company aims to give back to the planet by donating 10 percent of the profit from every pair of shoes sold to environmental causes like ocean conservation.

In a statement, CEO Emmanuel Eribo explained that, “for most consumer brands today, success is measured by sales and popularity. At Løci, we believe that there is a third pillar that is just as important as these two, impact. The greater the impact, the more successful we are. Today, it’s essential we do more than just make a fantastic product. We are here to change things. That’s why it’s always important for us to think differently, to swim against the tide.”

“Today, sustainability is one of the most used buzzwords,” added Chief Marketing Officer Philippe Homsy. “We want Løci to cut through the noise and be judged by our impact. Through education, innovation and donations, we’ve built a business model that is driven by our passion. With Leo, we could not have hoped for a more genuine and committed partner.”

Why Are Sneakers so Harmful?

Over 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown into the trash every year in the U.S. alone, with 95 percent of these ending up in landfills where it takes anywhere from 25 to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

When it comes to sneakers, most are made up of materials that are environmentally destructive: synthetic rubber, polyurethane, nylon or latex, made using fossil fuels. Pollutive, chemical-laden processes are used to mold, stick and glue the shoes together. Leather is riddled with severe environmental issues, from the catastrophic amount of deforestation needed to farm cows (as much as 80 percent of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest is tied to cattle ranching) to the toxic chemicals required to tan and preserve the skin.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Vegan Mission

DiCaprio is a strong supporter of vegan ventures across the fashion and food industries. He is an investor in the sustainable shoe brand Allbirds, and in May he backed VitroLabs, a lab-grown leather startup. Other brands in his portfolio include Lewis Hamilton’s vegan fast food chain Neat Burger, as well as multiple cultivated meat and seafood companies Mosa Meat, Aleph Farms and Wildtype.

Want more on the future of fashion? Learn about next-gen materials by listening to our podcast episode with Sydney Gladman, the chief scientific officer at Material Innovation Initiative (MII), and Ranjani Theregowda, MII’s environmental data scientist here.

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