SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hello, welcome back to another episode of the Menswear Style Podcast. I'm your host, Pete Brooker, and today on the show I am talking to Will Verona. He is the founder and director of Purified. Purified is a London-based shoe brand creating 100% plastic-free footwear solely from materials that are natural. 25 billion shoes are produced each year. Almost all of those are unrecyclable, destined to spend generations in landfill. The shoe industry's reliance on synthetic materials and toxic glues don't only lead to waste and environmental degradation, it compromises shoe quality and comfort. And here to correct that is Will Verona from Purified. Here he is on the phone.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Yes, hello. So I'm Will Verona and I'm the founder of Purified. Before I was studying shoemaking in Italy, so I learned kind of the pattern making side, how to the technical elements behind the shoes. And then after that, I spent five years as a designer in the industry. Mostly on sort of leather boots and leather shoes. Purified, we create entirely zero plastic shoes that are designed to return to Earth at the end of life. And yeah, it was described by when I've explained it to people in the past, it was almost described as the impossible shoe, this idea of completely rejecting plastics, synthetics, petroleum-based glues. But in reality, these are all things that have been created in the past hundred years or so. And you know, before then people weren't walking around barefoot. So I always knew that there was a way, and it's been a four-year journey of basically getting back to that sort of previous way. Um away from the product, I'd say the brand looks to champion kind of simpler ways of living and really rebuilding that connection with nature and humanity that I think we're seeing more and more of in in everyday life.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Interesting. Yeah, let's let's talk a little bit about you though. So you're you're living in Italy at the time, or did you go there from the UK to study, especially?

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Yeah, I I I went there to study for six months. So it's a school called Arcatoria in Milan. Um they really it was Monday to Saturday, like 9 till 7 pm every day, just just really working on on uh shoe lasts and and technical elements and being given designs to create um physical patterns from.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Um how does that work? Are you is it a specialist school that teaches shoe design, or is it kind of a broad design school and you specialized in shoes?

SPEAKER_02 2:55

No, it's a it's a very specialist school.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

I mean, they do other courses as well, I think around bags and probably they do some elements around the actual designing the shoes, but it's more the technical side that I went for. Um, and yeah, it was just learning kind of almost learning with your hands more than more than anything else, and just getting that kind of feeling and understanding, you know, what makes a great shoe and and how to correct technical issues. Um, it was fascinating, and I just came back with a level of knowledge that I was quite shocked by, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yeah. And so six months out there, do you do you learn Italian there? And do you go to the factories? Do they teach you at factories? How's it work?

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Yeah, we we did go to factories and we did a few visits. Um, but really it's just in in kind of a studio where you're just at a table with a cutting board and a shoelast, which is like a uh essentially a mold of a foot that you build the the shoe design around. Um and yeah, in terms of learning Italian, I wish I could say I came back fluent, but uh languages maybe has never been my strong point.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

So I see. You got fluent in April Sprit. Very much so. Well, so you then you graduate, you come back to the UK, I presume, and then you start work for another company, you say for five years. What are you learning or what you're gleaning at your time there or wherever you are that you're now taking in to purify five years later?

SPEAKER_02 4:33

So for me it was it was just a fascination, I guess, around in Italy. I was in Italy, I was learning lots of different, we call it constructions, like lots of different ways of building the shoe. And I really became fascinated with kind of all these historical constructions um that were probably less associated or less used in the industry currently. I think everything in the industry at the moment has been designed to be easy to make, quick to make, um, because effectively it helps the bottom line. Um, but I was always really interested in in bringing back that idea of crafted and sort of those historical things. So I've definitely always tried to take that forward. Um I think Purified has really pushed that to the next level.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

And so with Purified on your website, I just saw the trainers, right? So we're starting with a trainer. Were you tempted to go into dress shoes at any point first, or is this always going to be the the first launch for you?

SPEAKER_02 5:32

It's uh it's an interest, interesting one. I I did feel that the there was perhaps more of a desire out there at the moment for sustainable trainers. So I was keen to launch with the trainer, but I'm I'm by no means um shut off by attempting other categories, and I think there's a huge demand out there as well for entirely zero plastic um formal shoes. Maybe I would perhaps lead to a more casual range, like um, you know, suede's um, sorry, plant-based suede, um like a like a Clark's wallaby, for instance, something like that. Those more casual shoes that you can wear. Um we're really keen to wear everyday shoes for for multiple purposes, you know. The the great thing about the purified train is you could wear them on a day at the beach, but you could also wear them to the office. Um, and that's always something I'm really keen to stick by.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Interesting. And so you said you went to Sri Lanka and you saw a load of landfill out there, and you thought I've got to clean all this up and put it through a big burger machine and get some trainers out on the other side. How long did the process take from like conception to execution?

SPEAKER_02 6:49

So that yeah, that's not quite. Um, so I I was working a lot in Sri Lanka visiting one specific factory, and every day I would drive past this landfill site that the locals actually call Trash Mountain. Um, and it it just shocked me. I mean, I mean, the the first time I drove past it, it was so big, you know, it's quite a relatively flat area, and you've just got this massive essentially hill. I was like, how does that happen? What's that doing there? And then someone explained it to me like that's that's landfill. Um, and I just couldn't fathom. It was it was 50 meters high. Um, and it got so big it there is eventually a landslide into a village, and you know, a lot of people got hurt, houses got damaged, and I sort of took away and and you know, you you realize as designing shoes um in the current form, there's no consideration for that end of life. Like this is where they go, and I just didn't really want to be a part of that any longer. So it was kind of coming away from that and thinking, well, how how do we how do we almost redesign a system to to ensure that this this kind of thing doesn't happen? Because it's not just obviously the the landslide is quite a direct uh impact, but also you've got things like leaching microplastics um that you know invade all kinds of ecosystems, damaging the soil, damaging the sea life, but also you know, we've we've found and there's been more and more studies that it impacts human health. Um so yeah, the I the idea was to completely reject these plastics, and it was a four-year journey in the end, um to create a shoe that had no plastic.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

And what are the obstacles aside from I guess the obvious of just going to normal producers and factory lines and just showing them designs and them coming back? You have to, I assume, go to those guys, as in your manufacturers, and say, look, this is the idea I have, how is it achievable? And what is their reply to that?

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Yeah, so it was an interesting one. I I think when I first decided this this is what I want to do, I went to the industry, I went to sourcing fairs, and I was very specific with what I was looking for because it had to have no plastic. But when I went to the industry, it was like, oh, you want to do a sustainable shoe? Okay, cool. We've got, you know, we've got recycled EVAs, which is obviously plastic, we've got fruit leathers that are backed with plastic, but but the communication style is like you know, it's it's a it's a leather made from peaches. I don't know. Um it became very apparent early on that to do this right, we were gonna have to reject everything the industry offered and go down the route more of working with scientists and next-gen material companies who they just had such a better understanding of of what we were looking for. Um and yeah, I guess that that was a massive challenge immediately was just finding which which ones were at a stage where they were ready to, you know. I think when I've seen work with materials company in the past, I think they're keen to work initially with bag brands or or accessories brands like wallets, small leather goods. But shoes, because they have just such a greater requirement for durability, they're very hesitant. So we were limited there as well. Like there are only a few that could offer at this stage.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

And do you have to pay for each prototype that comes out? As in you, I imagine there's a lot of sampling that has to go on, then you have to test durability. Not everything works first time around. So, how does it work with the the the financing area of this?

SPEAKER_02 10:31

So, in terms in terms of the yeah, we we would have to pay for that prototyping stage for the materials we bought in. Um, so the brand itself was actually um, I had a lot of support through my family. Um, I come from a generation of shoemakers. My I think my great-grandfather even was a was a shoemaker. Um, but my dad has 40 years of experience. And I think I wrote up this concept of zero plastic shoes during COVID just because I had so much time with all the factories being closed. And when I took it to him, he just thought, yeah, this this feels really fresh and new, and it's just a whole it is just a rejection of everything that he's done in 40 years. So he was really keen to learn more and and and you know some support. Um, so we had some help through his brand as almost like a parent company, um, mostly in terms of managing the back end, you know, um building the website, managing stock. Um, and obviously he has 40 years of contacts of people, of um technical leads and manufacturers globally, which which was helpful when we were setting up in Portugal. But but you know, the the decisions around sourcing, production, creative, that was all myself.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

Can we say who the brand is?

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Uh yeah, I suppose we can. Yes. So it's uh it's a London-based boot brand called Hudson.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Uh-huh. Okay. And are they making in London or are they in Northampton like most shoe companies?

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Oh no, it it it the shoes are again, or they're manufactured in Portugal.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Oh, sorry, okay. All right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

So that it's a London-based sort of creative. I guess. Um, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

That must have been a real moment for your dad seeing you go off to Italy and then come back with these ideas and then start on this journey and then finally bring it. I mean, like, also you're actually showing somebody something like a dad can understand. As in, like, I guess most people that put like a PowerPoint presentation together or some kind of spreadsheet and go, I've worked on this formula for years, and they show it to the old man, and they're like, Yeah, whatever. You know, it's like, but here is something palpable, it's in your hand, you can look at it, you can feel it, it's tactile. So that must have been, I imagine that was quite special for you and your dad.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Yeah, I think so. You know, I I've kind of been immersed to the shoemaking world since I was probably four years old. It's something I'd almost always knew I was going into. Um I think the Arcatoria uh studying in Italy was a huge aspect of that. I just think before I would have all these ideas, and it was like, okay, well, but realistically you can't do this because X, Y, and Z. But I came back knowing exactly what you could do and what you can't do. And I could pick up a shoe or and see something wrong with it, and I would know how to fix it. And that was amazing going into design because I think that's something that perhaps has been a little bit lost. Um, when I've spoken to some other designers, you know, they can make great drawings, they can come up with fantastic ideas, but you know, when you're in the factory, the the knowledge you learn there is just invaluable. And um, to be able to say, oh, you know, there's a little bit there wrong in terms of how the the leather is cut, if you do this, um it'll be much better. Just saves time as well. Um, but yeah, right. I I think when I presented sort of these concepts, I had just put a lot of work into it, you know, in terms of every aspect from the system of how it would work with a plant-based shoe, you know, from from building it to where to end of life to like the marketing side to who would want the shoes. Um, you know, I'd I'd put a lot of work in there. And I think yeah, it definitely was like a a good moment presenting to obviously my dad, like, yeah, you know, this is what I think we should do.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Yeah, it's not so like you have the design and the education behind you to make the shoe, but then there's also right now we have the product, how do we get it out? And that's where I think a lot of people in your position, like founders of companies, startups, they fall by the wayside because they almost get so immersed with the product, fall in love with the product, they've made something great, but it's like now how do we get some eyeballs on this? How do we even begin to sell this? So, how did you approach that side? As in, did you get some outside help, or did you have I mean, I know you you got your dad to leverage maybe his Rolodex, but I imagine that's in the making side. How do we actually get the the shoe out so people can see it?

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Yeah, that that's something we've just done organically and we've really just learned through doing ourselves. Um I mean, we've only just launched, and I was very protective of the concept before we got to this stage. So we obviously we've only really been talking about it for the past few weeks um externally. It it's something that I think we have to have a lot of control over. Um, we have to be very careful. But but yeah, it's it's exciting at the moment to be speaking to new people and you know, working starting slowly starting to work with other people to get ideas out there and to kind of share the story.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah, I bet. I bet. So I was just thinking about when you were talking about landfill, and that I guess that's kind of the heartbeat of the brand, right? So we need we need to address this, not just in the shoe industry, but in our everyday life. And I was thinking because I was watching Back to the Future 2 the other night, and was it the first one? But it's when Emmett Brown comes back in the DeLorean and he goes, We got to go back to the future and we need fuel. So he goes through Marty's garbage and just puts like a load of crap like from his dustbin into the flux capacitor. I thought, huh, yeah, I guess that's what we all dreamed of, like back in the day. Was that by the year? And that's set, like the future for that is set in 2015. So we're talking like 10 years ago nearly. And we're still nowhere near that, in my opinion. We're still nowhere near what the promises of the film industry showed us. Like we can just get our everyday garden waste and that'll power our motors, and then we'll just fly off to the fly off to work.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

I mean, I I'm still waiting for that floating skateboard.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

The the hoverboard.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yeah, we're getting closer. Uh but no, I I think I think in the industry there's a lot of talk around this idea of recycling and and you know, having these shoes that we can essentially create create new shoes from entirely, and it it's just it's not done. You know, I I think 99% of all shoes will end up in landfill, and the 1% gets recycled or it's recyclable, as some brands claim. You know, to do that, you need every customer to send the shoes back. How how many realistically are going to do that? And then how frequently can you recycle these shoes over and over and over again? I think it's unlikely that that can be done infinitely. So you're not really talking about a circular model, you're you're talking about a linear extension. So, which which is which is a step forward for sure, from no consideration whatsoever. Like, I don't want to be too brutal, but for me, when I was trying to think of like, well, how how do we fix this problem? Um for me, the a lot of research is done into circular concepts, but the one that's always existed is this idea of natural circularity. You know, if if if the materials you're using come from nature and you haven't made their structures more complex so they can be accepted back into nature at end of life, and then you know, help promote the next phase of plant growth. That is a circular model.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Is any of the bigger brands? I mean, I don't want you to, I guess you can name them if you like, but I'm just thinking we're doing or you're doing this on a small scale, like a micro scale now. We have purified. But are you looking at any of your of the big brands, you know, your marquee brands that are doing anything towards this or thinking about this?

SPEAKER_02 18:41

I think it's very difficult for them because to do what we've done you as a like an existing large-scale brand, you would have to rip up your and to do it properly, to completely change how you've done it, you would have to rip up your entire infrastructure and start again. I think there are big brands that have maybe come up with smaller, like they're trialing it, they're they're coming up with concepts that are maybe slightly similar, but in reality, I I mean it depends what your attitude is. You could say, you know, they're trialling it so that they're gonna implement it one day. For me, I feel it's more down the route of it it's marketing for them, and and they want to be a part of it, but they don't necessarily want to do it because they know that to actually do it at scale, it's gonna be a loss-making thing for them, at least for for quite some time. So it just is you know, one of my key influences around or key sorry, inspirations was actually Nike had a range of a category of shoes called Nike considered in the 90s, and some of the ideas there were just so ahead of its time. You had like woven shoe uppers using straw, you had modular designs that could be disassembled, they didn't use glue. Um and you know, even before I started purified, that aspect of design has always been like a real sort of North Star for me. Um so you know, like the ideas are somewhat there, it's just in terms of implementing them at scale that I'm not seeing it.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Interesting. You know what else Nike did? The mags. Back to the future, self-lacing trainers. Where were they?

SPEAKER_02 20:36

Oh they they they what was it? It was I think they brought it they went back to they we actually met the date there in the future and they released them again.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

I think they did like a small run of them.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Yeah, yeah, they are really cool. I I I actually managed to I don't have a pair, but I managed to pick up a pair once in a in a shop somewhere, and oh, they are really cool.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

And how far are we down the line for Purified getting something like that? Well, and you gotta reach for the stars, right? Yeah. Um well, listen, Will, thank you so much for coming on. Uh I really appreciate your time, but also really dig the brand, the effort, the energy you're putting towards making something very different. Uh not out there currently, or you know, a lot of people need to lean into this sort of stuff, especially with footwear, because how many people actually get to hand me down footwear? Because like you can hand me down maybe a coat or a t-shirt or something like that, but I you know, and I'm guilty of all this. Trainers just really go to the go to the bin or to the land for like we all know. And so how many of these are actually happening? And you're trying to do something about that, which I commend, sir. Purified.eco, the place to go. We'll put all the links over on the show notes. And uh where can people get hold of you, Will?

SPEAKER_02 21:59

Yeah, so um you just contact us through the website, um purified.eco. It's probably the best way to go.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Alrighty, and uh drop him a note there and check out the shoes. In the meantime, speak to you soon, Will. Thanks for coming on.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

Thanks very much. Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 22:24

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