It is oh so cold in England at the moment. Leaving the house to do anything feels about 100 times more effort than usual, so being outside for hours, as many have found ourselves in the last few days, can leave us with some extra chilly feet.

A coincidental stroke of luck hit last week, as the team over at Mahabis were kind enough to offer me a pair of slippers just in time for the weekend. Mahabis is a London based company inspired by principles of Scandinavian minimalism; focusing on clean designs, relaxation and simplicity. They sent me the summer slippers which are vegan and, despite being designed for summer, incredibly cosy.

One of the things I find most interesting about Mahabis is the addition of a detachable sole made of TPU, which is essentially a better version of PVC. PVC is a material that can be found in many shoe soles and uppers, however there are some safety concerns around it. PVC is a rigid material that’s often softened using an agent called a plasticiser however phthalates, the most common softening agents, can leach from the material and cause health risks. TPU is a great alternative that doesn’t need any toxic chemical treatment before use and is very easy to manufacture. As a material it’s high quality and significantly stronger than most other options, being robust and durable whilst also doing better than other materials in flexibility, tear resistance and abrasion resistance. (source)

The Mahabis sole is designed to be popped on to the slipper for outside use, for example going to grab your mail or taking out the bins. The sole’s less frequent use, combined with the durability of its materials, means that one set of Mahabi soles could easily last a lifetime. The soles are designed to work with any slipper in the Mahabi range, so if the upper part of the slipper eventually needs replacing, you can easily take it to textile recycling and get another pair, whilst still using the same sole for multiple years, before sending it to a plastic recycling scheme. (I’ve also reached out to Mahabis to ask about the possibility of them recycling old soles into new ones, I’ll update you when I hear back)

On top of that, all parts of the Mahabis manufacturing chain are based within Europe; with the slippers being hand stitched by a team of around forty in a family-run factory in Portugal, and the soles manufactured by an even smaller team in Italy. Both operate under ethical conditions, and the Mahabis team are able to regularly visit factories due to their proximity, as they can be at a factory in 2 hours if needed.

When we’re trying to achieve a sustainable lifestyle it soon becomes clear that there is no such thing as a perfect product. I do think if we can find one investment that’s going to last as long as possible, that is often one of the best choices, both in terms of sustainability, zero waste, and minimalism. I won’t need to purchase slippers again for a long long time. Instead, I can put my (now warmer) feet up for some rest.

If you’re interested in getting a pair of Mahabis, use my code: IGXethic for 15% off everything and free worldwide shipping. (This post wasn’t sponsored, they just gave me a discount code – isn’t that nice)

Until next time, stay magic y’all.