Ethical shoe brand Nisolo is expanding in New York City.
Its fourth brick-and-mortar store will open in New York City’s West Village neighborhood opened last week at 380 Bleecker Street. (Its neighbor stores include Dôen and Diptyque.) Nisolo’s newest retail location will house the brand’s full range of responsible footwear and accessories.
Known for its artisan-made leather goods and ethical stance (including broadcasting its fair pay wages), Nisolo is on a growth trajectory. This latest opening trails the success of Nisolo’s flagship store in the Buchanan Arts District in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as recent openings in Washington, D.C., and Boston.
Along with boasting B Corp status and certifications from Leather Working Group and Climate Neutral, the brand released its own “Sustainability Facts Label,” which is the culmination of empowered consumption, according to the brand. The label provides comprehensive sustainability information, including a publicized disclosure of living wages, existence of a profit sharing program, verified emissions reduction targets, raw material transparency and more. The tool is based on existing metrics and data from industry sources like the Higg Index and Textile Exchange, as well as consumer-facing ratings from Good on You, Remake and more.
Nisolo’s aim, as founder and chief executive officer Patrick Woodyard previously said at a WWD forum, is to revolutionize the fashion industry by fostering transparency and encouraging other brands to adopt this level of transparency.
“You see massive brands with very poor track records of social and environmental justice launching great new green initiatives with new lines of product that perhaps make up less than 1 percent of their overall product offering — and suddenly people view them as leaders in the sustainability space,” Woodyard said.
He said Nisolo is cutting through the noise, with efforts like its sustainability label or in-store engagement, by building real transparency with customers. “True transparency helps us understand who is really all in. The state of the industry is only worth changing, only if it completely transforms.”
Nisolo’s New York City milestone captures its momentum this year and foreshadows future retail plans, per the founder. “We are proud to expand our retail footprint to New York’s West Village. With a vibrant retail culture, this location provides Nisolo the opportunity to connect with our largest market of consumers. With the ability to touch and feel our functional and comfortable designs, we hope to better show the value of the beautiful products that our customers love.”
The West Village store will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.