Miz Mooz collections are designed in New York and made in Europe, specifically Italy and Portugal. The brand favours small family-run businesses where the workers are skilled and experienced artisans. Since Europe is subject to strict labour and environmental laws, we can assume that the workers receive fair wages and work in safe conditions.
High-quality leather is what brought Miz Mooz to Europe. They source all of their materials here and work with ethical leather tanneries in Portugal. COSH! interviewed Miz Mooz’s European distributor, he spoke candidly about their products and where they come from. He was very honest about the fact that it’s hard to be 100% sure of practices in tanneries but that they hope the leather is chrome-free or low chromium.
The shoes are made entirely out of leather except for the rubber sole, well at least the sandals are. We don’t know whether the rubber is natural or synthetic. They use, for example, a microfibre lining in their boots which is not very environmentally friendly or biodegradable. Almost all soles also contain a synthetic component and some are lined with cork. Miz Mooz is using wood less and less for the heels of their shoes as it makes the shoes very heavy. Instead, they usually opt for a combination of wood and synthetic materials, sometimes topped with a layer of leather.
Miz Mooz shoes are not biodegradable and not easily recyclable but this is true for almost all shoe brands. This is because shoes tend to be composed of many different materials, which make them comfy and sturdy.
The shoes’ packaging is made out of paper and cardboard from a Portuguese factory, as the brand wants to avoid plastic.
Since 2017, Miz Mooz has been a member of 1% for the Planet, a network of companies committed to protecting the natural environment. As a member, they pledge to give 1% of their gross annual sales to organisations working towards a healthy planet and healthy communities, currently they are partnered with ‘Prospect Park Alliance’ and ‘City Harvest: rescuing food for New York’s hungry’.
It’s worth noting that although their production used to be in China, they have since moved it to Europe. The shoes for European customers stay in Europe and aren’t first sent back to the US to be shipped from there. This allows them to keep their supply short and reduce the distances travelled by shoes for the European market.
All shoes from this brand are made out of leather, a material that unfortunately does involve the death of animals, but it is also a natural material that is very long-lasting. It is unclear whether Miz Mooz’s leather is a by-product of the meat industry, and in what way they are choosing it to be sustainable or not. The European distributor did tell COSH! that they have intentions to choose sustainable materials.
At Miz Mooz, you won’t find shoes which follow fleeting trends that are quickly out of fashion. Instead, you will find timeless and retro flats, boot and sandals. Every year, a new collection comes out in spring and autumn. Their collections have something for everyone, with a big variety of designs: some are more detailed and some have brighter colours, for example. Many of their designs are reused in subsequent collections. In fact, you’ll often see about a quarter of their shoes in the following year’s new collection at Miz Mooz.
The shoes are made out of high-quality materials and the designs take comfort into account, so you can enjoy your Miz Mooz shoes for a long time.
Each shoe indicates which country it is made in – Portugal or Italy. They do not specify the exact factory where it is made.
Conclusion
The timeless and comfortable leather shoes made in Europe by Miz Mooz can be found in the shops indicated on the COSH! shopping map below!
