Inside Everlane's First Sustainable Sneaker Pop-Up in DTLA

Tread by Everlane has officially arrived in Los Angeles. As mentioned, Everlane is introducing Angelenos to its first sustainable shoe brand, and footwear fiends can shop the debut Trainer style at the transparent direct-to-consumer brand's first pop-up shop dedicated to its new kicks line now through Sunday, May 19. The month-long boutique in Downtown comes ahead of Everlane's first permanent L.A. store, which is slated to open in Venice at 1101 Abbot Kinney Blvd. later this year. (Stay tuned for more on that!)

Landing at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and 9th Street across from the Ace Hotel, the brand's 800-square-foot DTLA pop-up stocks all seven hues of the new sneakers ($98), which are carbon-neutral, 54% free of virgin (a.k.a. new) plastic, and available in women's and men's sizes.

At the store's preview last week, Tread by Everlane designer Alison Melville explained that while the brand uses recycled materials whenever possible for its footwear, "we're not quite there yet" as far as being 100% eco-friendly. She says that the brand is hoping to spark change within the footwear industry by raising awareness of little-known issues among consumers, like the fact that most sneaker soles are made of mostly plastic (Everlane's shoes use recycled and natural rubber and are 94.2% free of new plastic).

Earth-minded sneakerheads will also be happy to know that the leather comes from a Leather Working Group Gold-certified tannery that uses 42% less electricity and 56% less water, and emits 20% less greenhouse gas; while the laces and linings are made of about 9.5 recycled plastic bottles and emit 18% less carbon during the process.

As far as the interiors, the space's honeycomb-like seating is made of natural birch wood, while a photo-ready mural features repurposed shoe materials. Shoppers can also see the full anatomy of the sneakers, learn more about the amount of rubber and plastic that their kicks are saving from landfills, and make their own natural sneaker cleaner at the store's bottling station.

That's not all: In addition to enjoying free java from Skid Row Coffee and cold-pressed fruit by Tropics using Imperfect Produce, you'll be able to earn carbon credit tokens on behalf of NativeEnergy as Everlane is donating $5 to the carbon offset organization when you check in and try on shoes.

There's also a full schedule of community events happening throughout the brand's month-long run, including a natural wine 101 panel curated by Cash Only this Wednesday, May 1; sneaker customization led by L.A.-based illustrator and designer Grace Danico on Saturday, May 4; and a high-energy experimental dance class hosted by Bloom & Plume café founder Maurice Harris on Sunday, May 5; and a live performance by Stone Throw Records artist Los Retros on Sunday, May 12; to name just a few.

Into it? Take a peek inside the earth-friendly shop and scroll through the gallery above, then see the full lineup of happenings and RSVP here.

Tread by Everlane, 958 South Broadway, L.A., 90015; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Sunday, May 19