New Brand Shows Retailer's Passion to Democratize Green, Brings Eco-Conscious Options to the Mainstream; Eco-Consultant Summer Rayne Oakes Helps Drive Sustainable Innovation, Invisible Green for New Brand
TOPEKA, Kan., April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time to celebrate Earth Day, and to enable more people to participate in sustainable living, Payless ShoeSource announced today the immediate availability of its new Zoe & Zac brand, which offers "fresh green fashion"(TM) with a full collection of shoes, handbags, jewelry and socks for under $30 an item -- making it the first-ever affordable line of green footwear and accessories.
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The Zoe & Zac green brand -- available now in 1,000 Payless stores nationwide and Payless.com(R) -- was created to democratize green footwear and accessory products by making them affordable and accessible and to bring eco-consciousness to the mainstream. The Zoe & Zac products are green because they are made from eco-friendly components and materials such as organic cottons and linen, natural hemp, recycled rubber outsoles, eco-friendly-EVA cushioning, and water-based glues for the shoes. Natural materials like dyed Tagua and Acai nuts are incorporated into the jewelry. The product packaging is eco-smart as well, utilizing 100 percent recycled shoe boxes and soy-based inks for the printing.
"The sustainability movement is pervasive today and is touching so many elements of consumers' daily lives and they are interested in more and more green product options being available to them," said LuAnn Via, president of Payless ShoeSource. "But green items are often expensive and inaccessible to so many. Today, we are thrilled to launch the Zoe & Zac brand and to make green footwear and accessory products affordable, delivering new options for more people to take part in a more sustainable lifestyle."
Zoe & Zac also has a "fresh green fashion" approach and tagline, making it unique among green footwear products. The brand stresses an "invisibly green," fashion-first position with regular seasonal updates to reflect the latest trends such as popular silhouettes, key colors and other styling details. Zoe & Zac is expected to evolve to a green brand for the family with expanded products for girls, as well as future offerings for men and boys.
"The most common misconception about sustainable fashion is that it comes in one color and looks one way -- neutral, boxy, baggy, shapeless," said Summer Rayne Oakes, Payless' eco consultant who is helping to deliver the new line with strong fashion and sustainable innovation. "The best sustainable fashion is invisible and that's what Zoe & Zac is all about. People like change and to wear the fashions of the season, and Payless is enabling consumers to do that in an affordable and sustainable way with this first-ever new brand."
Zoe & Zac makes its debut with the Spring Collection featuring eight women's footwear styles, two handbags, three girls' shoes, as well as a range of jewelry and socks. The shoe styles showcase key trends of the season including important footwear silhouettes like espadrille wedges, ballet flats, skimmer slip-ons, and flip flops with fun printed fabrics featuring whimsical daisies and camouflage and embellishments like bows and frayed detailing. Handbags include a tote with a unique square shape and tied bow detail and a clutch with a rattan handle. Jewelry features turquoise-like pieces with large chunky pendants and natural-colored beading details. All the products stress important colors of the season: purple, sage, royal blue, brown and pink.
Payless Gives to Benefit the Planet - 100,000 Trees
Payless also announced today its alliance with The Nature Conservancy and its Green BOGO(TM) (Buy One, Get One Half Off) sale to partner with shoppers to raise money to plant a minimum of 100,000 trees to support The Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign dedicated to planting 1 billion trees by 2015 to help rebuild the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Beginning today, Payless will donate $1 -- the cost to plant one tree -- for every Zoe & Zac green brand item sold through May 4 and on every Payless exclusive reusable shopping bag sold throughout the year.
The reusable bag is $1.99 (not included in the BOGO sale) and available in more than 4,000 stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico through the end of the year. It features a chocolate brown and lime green leaf print and is made from a minimum of 50 percent recycled polyethalene (PET) -- the primary material in plastic water and soda bottles. The reusable shopping bag is fully philanthropic; Payless will donate 100 percent of the net profits from bag sales to the Plant a Billion Trees cause.
Payless said it has committed a minimum $100,000 contribution to The Nature Conservancy, which equates to 100,000 trees planted in the Atlantic Forest, but that it expects consumer interest to be high for the products and the cause, resulting in a potentially larger contribution.
The Importance of Tropical Forests
Tropical forests are often called the "Lungs of the Earth," storing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen in the never-ending cycle of life, helping regulate the atmosphere and stabilize global climate. The Atlantic Forest -- among the largest tropical forests in the world -- has been degraded to only seven percent of its original size through such activities as coastal development, urban expansion, agriculture, ranching, exotic plantations and illegal logging.
About Payless' Giving Programs
Since 2004, Payless has established formal programs to support important causes by selling unique items and making them accessible with affordable price points and then partnering with shoppers by donating a 100 percent of the net profits from item sales to a cause. Through such programs, Payless supports breast cancer awareness and is a member of the $1 Million Council with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. The company also celebrates Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month by establishing the Payless Inspiring Possibilities Scholarships with the National Urban League and Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, respectively, to support the higher education of America's minority youth. Payless supports inner city youth in New York City with its Friendship Shoe program, with proceeds benefitting the Fresh Air Fund, which provides free summer vacations to underprivileged children living in the New York area.
For the Holiday 2008 season, Payless launched Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids, a first-ever national, grass roots initiative to give $1 million of free shoes -- through $15 gift coupons -- to American children of families in need. The company took a unique approach to the giving, partnering with more than 630 non-profit organizations across the nation, which distributed the free shoe coupons. This approach was important to directly reach those in need, to support localized non-profits and to ensure strong coverage in every state and the District of Columbia.
The Payless Green BOGO and the support of the Nature Conservancy's Plant a Billion Trees campaign is another example of Payless' philanthropic programs. For more information on the Plant a Billion Trees campaign go to www.plantabillion.org.
About Payless & Collective Brands, Inc.
Payless ShoeSource, Inc., a unit of Collective Brands, Inc., is the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere and is dedicated to democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value. As of the end of fourth quarter 2008, the company operated more than 4,500 stores. In addition, customers can buy shoes over the Internet through Payless.com(R) at www.payless.com.
Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing. Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its more than 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands American Eagle(TM), Airwalk(R), Dexter(R), Champion(R) and designer collections Abaete for Payless, Lela Rose for Payless and alice + olivia for Payless, among others; Stride Rite, focused on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear and high-quality children's footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite(R), Keds(R), Sperry Top-Sider(R), Robeez(R), and Saucony(R), among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk(R), Vision Street Wear(R), Sims(R), Lamar(R) and LTD(R). Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand's units can be found at www.collectivebrands.com.
About Summer Rayne Oakes
Summer Rayne Oakes is a model-activist and spokesperson, resident expert, and youngest board of advisors for Planet Green, Discovery Network's new eco-lifestyle channel. The Cornell University graduate and environmental scholar has received media accolades including from Vanity Fair naming her a Global Citizen, Outside naming her one of the Top Environmental Activists, Cosmopolitan naming her Fun, Fearless Female of 2007, and CNN's Nicole Lapin nominating her as a "Young Person Who Rocks." Through her work as a consultant Summer Rayne advises companies and organizations, and works on sustainable development and environmental programs in the U.S. and abroad. In February 2009, she released her first book, Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion & Beauty published by Chronicle Books. Her most recent role as consultant is with Payless ShoeSource as Eco-Consultant for the company's Zoe & Zac green brand, where she helps the company find innovative ways to create "fresh green fashion."
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
