This week on the FASHION CRIMES PODCAST “Designer Spotlight” guest series, we are shining our light on sustainable shoe designer, Emily Landsman Archila of Della Terra Shoes, who is now - of course - our new brand bestie!  What is “sustainable fashion”?  Well, your favorite stylist Holly Katz is here to tell you, because YOU NEED TO KNOW!  Go right now and listen to this week’s podcast: “Sustainable Brand Della Terra Shoes” A little background:  Della Terra has a mission to be an ethical and inclusive brand continuously working towards sustainability. With sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity at the forefront of the brand, they embrace and support all facets of life.  “Footwear with less footprint” Two years ago, shoe designer Emily Landsman was inspired to create what was missing from her wardrobe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her transitional, inclusive styles are completely versatile #footwear, and her company is focused on creating real #shoes for real people! And, by the way, are both SUPER cute and fashionable! Yaaaassssss!   This Shoe Boss Lady comes from a massive design background: After receiving her Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Emily worked in corporate footwear for nearly 16 years designing for prestigious fashion brands such as Alice + Olivia, Diane Von Furstenberg, Vera Wang, Vince Camuto, Clarks, Via Spiga and many more. Anyway, back to the episode: after Emily and Holly gush about their mutual BFF and friend of the podcast – Vienne Brown of Vienne Milano - Emily tells us about how she came to create a woman-owned, #sustainable shoe company. After years in the corporate shoe industry, she wanted to create a company of her own. But she was terrified - as any entrepreneur should be - before jumping off the diving board headfirst.  It wasn't really until the pandemic hit, when she had time to spend marinating in the future of fashion, that she came to realize how businesses were going to have to adapt and change in our rapidly changing world.  So naturally, in the middle of a world pandemic, she decided THIS was the perfect time to launch a sustainable footwear brand!  It was during those crazy COVID days, when the world seemed to stop, that she thought about this change - the way people shop, the way they dress - it was all transforming before our eyes.  But at that moment came some clarity, and she knew exactly what was missing. And she knew that she could create it. Enter Della Terra, a sustainable and fashionable shoe company, which launched in June of 2020.  So, what is does ‘sustainable fashion’ mean, and why should we care?  Well, have you ever thrown out old flip-flops? That was made of rubber or plastic or leather? What happens to them in the trash pit? Do they just magically disappear? Or do they last forever? YES. They last forever.  Imagine every single person on the planet throwing ONE PAIR of flip-flops away per year. How big is that “forever” trash pile?  This is why being environmentally conscious and using sustainable materials in fashion matters. Emily tells us that sustainability is not a “one and done” thing. It is something we need to constantly work toward.  In producing her own shoe line, they only produce in small batches, they order factory minimums and make relatively few pairs of shoes at one time. The company manages production amounts by allowing preorders early for styles because they want to make sure that - right off the bat – they are not producing more shoes than there's a need for.  Emily wants to know that every pair of shoes is going to have a loving home, which is what we want for all shoes in the world! Right!? But also, we need to know what the shoes are made of. Della Terra does not use any animal products in their footwear.  They are PETA-approved and use vegan leather – a vegan leather that is very specific. They had to be sure that they were not just making more damn plastic shoes, but instead, making