A Canberra-based sneaker company has pledged to plant five trees for every pair of sneakers sold during the month of October, furthering the vocation of bright young founder, Katherine Cymbalak.
The pledge is part of the Grow Your Impact initiative, which supports smaller, eco-friendly brands that give back, and BLAC Sneaker Co has aimed to give with both hands since the company’s early stages.
“My vision for BLAC was to make a positive impact, not only on the environment but also across society – a balance between sustainable fashion and supporting the community around us,” said Ms Cymbalak.
Her business works to take slow fashion to the next level, crafting shoes out of what Ms Cymbalak calls the “underdog of fabrics”.
“Hemp has been used to make rope for countless years because of its durability and strength. As a fibre, it’s difficult to break, so making fashion from hemp means your clothes last longer, but also is incredible for the environment in other ways.
“Hemp can rejuvenate soil, drawing out toxins. It grows faster than other crops, which means reducing the impact of deforestation. It helps clean up the water, as less pesticides used means less chemicals in the waterways impacting wildlife downstream.”
BLAC aims to be the necessary future of clothing companies in more ways than one, donating two per cent of their annual turnover to charity, and exclusively working with BSCI-certified suppliers, which protects the fair treatment of workers.
“Businesses need to take responsibility for having the power to make or break communities, because they operate in them,” said Ms Cymbalak. “Their employees and customers face the ramifications of poor business practices.
“It’s a moral duty of care. We need to protect our surroundings for the future.
“The best thing customers can do is vote with their wallets and keep asking questions. Not every business is perfect, but if they keep answering those questions, then it’s a positive sign.”
Ms Cymbalak is keen to help regenerate the ACT after the 2020 bushfires with this initiative.
“Spring is one of the best times to plant trees,” she smiled. “The trees we’ve planted previously were across the Amazon, so I’m excited to get behind something closer to home.”
The young entrepreneur holds a fulltime job in business management on top of running her sustainable sneaker brand.
“I found that going into business can have a bigger impact, you can get more people behind you than what I could do volunteering.”
Ms Cymbalak maintains that making moves to live and shop sustainably is not only kind, but brave. “Courage links to trying new things and taking a step forward where not many others have. I want to be a part of a world that rewards that,” she said.
“I hope to expand to many types of hemp clothing, but at the moment we’re sticking with shoes.
“We hope that we can work towards also contributing to cleaning up the ocean. That’s the next step that we’re looking at.
“Currently, the future lies in expanding more on hemp, exploring its benefits. Understanding what slow fashion really means.”
On top of all her endeavours, Ms Cymbalak is expecting her first child.
“We want a greener future for all of us, including our future bub.”
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