Nisolo Makes the Best Sustainable Shoes

Hi Joanna,
Cute post!
I bought a pair of the Nisolo huaraches two summers ago after your endorsement and I’ve been loving them since–thanks for the fantastic rec! I am considering a new/fresh pair for this summer, and noticed they advise to size up, while previously it was best to size down. Have you sized up with your more recent pair(s)? Thank you!

living sustainably is my number one goal lately and the focus of my blog! my favorite switch is shopping secondhand – i thought i’d miss shopping and that it would be really hard but it’s been fun and easy and i’ve found the coolest, just right for me stuff. my other favorite switch is making my own products – chapstick recipe this way: https://tps-steph.blogspot.com/2019/04/tps-make-your-own-chapstick.html and lots of other ways to live sustainably here: https://tps-steph.blogspot.com/search/label/sustainability

This is so tiny and so fantastic: my husband bought us each a titanium spork. It’s small enough to fit into the little wristlet I carry everywhere. We live on a sailboat in Mexico, where smaller restaurants or street food stalls often do not have access to running water and serve food with disposables. At a conference in the US last week I had it on me for the first time and was able to pass on 8 utensils there in the first 4 days of carrying it!

We’re also working hard to buy less bottled water, which is hard in a country where you usually have to purchase potable water. My husband is a great lover of sparkling water, and I am super impressed that he’s working on setting that habit down and cultivating a love of sun teas; jamaica/hibiscus with a pinch of sugar turns out to be a new favorite.

Hi Clare! This doesn’t seem right! Reach out to support@nisolo.com and we will see what we can do for you moving forward!

It’s frustrating to find shoe brands that only make shoes up to a size 10. Unfortunately, as much as I like the styles, I won’t be wearing any of these!

Hi Joanna, that tree looks like great fun! How often do you get the opportunity in your working life to climb a tree!!! Shoes look good too.

I’ll be honest about my wide-footed experience with the huaraches: I thought by breaking them in they would stretch to my feet, and they have, but because they aren’t a solid piece of leather my toes actually stick through the holes on the side! Not a great look, but I stubbornly keep wearing them.

Just ordered the Mariella Mule in Sand….cannot wait to get them!! so excited! Thanks for the discount, Jo! :)

I purchased a pair of the Nisolo Huarache sandals (on CoJ’s recommendation!) and absolutely love the look of them, but they HURT! I have tried everything – returning for a larger size, breaking them in on 10+ occasions, even shoe inserts – but no matter what, I get awful blisters. I’m bummed because I love the look of the shoe but am not sure what to do. Any ideas? For the record, I have pretty narrow, size 7 feet.

Hi! I am so happy to see Cup of Jo talk about sustainability – it’s such an important concept and you have such a great platform to spread the word. The work that Nisolo is doing around ethical production is great and I am encouraged to see more of that happening. However, I would just caution against the concept of carbon offsets as a means of measuring sustainability. Carbon offsets have largely been shown not to work and can create the illusion that high-carbon activities are sustainable. In most cases, offset markets actually increase emissions by creating negative incentives for companies to pollute. I’m doing my master’s in Sustainable Development and writing a paper about the ethics of emissions trading at the moment so it was the first thing I thought when I read this article.

Anyway – just some food for thought. Love the blog and keep up the good work!

I bet it was fun to climb that tree…

The term “ethical” needs to be reserved for shoe/clothing companies that are vegan. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be ethical when you are killing another living being and using its skin for your adornment.

I have two pairs of their shoes. The huaraches are comfy, but the Oxfords I bought are the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever had. I wore them once and they chewed up my heels. When I contacted Nisolo, they admitted the heel stitching was flawed and they had since made improvements. However, they would not refund my money. I still have a pair of new, and unwearable gray suede oxfords in my closet … and Nisolo lost my business forever. ?

I bought the Ecuador Huarache last summer, and although I’ve worn them a few times, they still hurt in a couple of places on my foot. Still waiting for them to break in!

Tell them to extend their sizing. Most brands go bigger than 10 now! We get going about size inclusion on jeans which is so important, but some of us have bigger feet. Sizism is rampant! ;)

I own and love the Huaraches but my absolute favorite shoes are the d’orsay flats in cognac. Favorite shoes I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned a lot of good shoes :)

So, I have a couple of questions –
1. where in the world was this photoshoot done? and how did Joanna get on top of that tree? (I want to climb trees also!)
2. what does “ethical factory in Mexico” mean? What makes a factory ethical?

thanks!

Thank you for partnering with such ethical, sustainable companies. This is why I love Cup of Jo!

Makes me so sad they don’t make a size 5!! I’ve submitted some comments begging them to start.

I have several pairs of Nisolos and LOVE their business practices and designs. My two recommendations: size up if you have not-feet (their sizing guides are helpful, too) and ADD SOLE PROTECTORS if you plan to do any real walking outdoors, e.g. to and from work. I wore a hole in my Chelsea boots after one season (this was before the rubber-soled version was available) and have worn down the heels of my Ama mules in less than a year. Love these shoes, but you’ll need to take them to a cobbler/shoe specialist to shore up the soles if you want them to last.

Haha, my grandma wears huaraches just like those!

Love Nisolo!