Cali lifestyle brand raises $1 million for fully biodegradable shoe

In California, direct-to-consumer brand KOKOLU has raised $1 million in an angel investing round that it will use to expand its sustainable apparel offering. 

Its flagship product is a vegan leather shoe made entirely of bamboo, sugarcane, corn, beach tree and an undisclosed material it calls greenksole. The entire shoe will biodegrade in three years. An earlier version of the shoe was made of recycled plastic bottles.  

“Because of poor marketing and sales strategies, fashion brands often place way more orders than expected, which leads to overproduction,” says CEO and Founder Luanne Guo in a press statement. “But the most striking scene is the wastewater. We know the water usage in the fashion industry has long been counted as a top pollution problem. Only when you see it with your own eyes, can you truly understand how serious the problem is.”

Luanne adds that she visited over 50 factories before pairing up with an innovative factory known for its eco-friendly materials, to produce the sustainable shoe and make her vision a reality.

The funding was issued by UpHonest Capital.