"If I can't bury it, it doesn't go in the shoe."
— Yishu, Founder of Little Fierce
I didn't set out to make a sustainable kids' sneaker. I set out to make the best kids' sneaker I possibly could, and when I looked honestly at what that meant, the materials weren't optional.
Most kids' shoes are made primarily from plastic and synthetic materials. When outgrown, they typically end up in landfill for a very long time. I wanted to design something different from the ground up.
Every component of the Alpha was chosen deliberately, selected for being natural, plastic-free, and designed with end of life in mind.
The materials
Every part. Chosen with intention.
Each component is selected because it's natural, plastic-free, and designed with the planet in mind. Here's exactly what goes into every pair of Alphas, and why.
01
PLIANT™ Outsole by NFW
Sourced in USA · Made in Portugal
Made from responsibly sourced natural rubber using plant-based technology. Free from synthetic rubber and plastic. Designed to safely biodegrade at end of life.
100% Biobased02
Mirum® Insole by NFW
Sourced in USA · Made in Portugal
Made entirely from natural and mineral ingredients. No synthetic polymers, no plastic. Soft, supportive, with an air-bubble structure for cushioning. What sits against your child's foot all day should be clean.
No Synthetic Polymers03
FSC Certified Organic Elastic
Made in Germany
Organic cotton and natural rubber. No synthetic fibres, no plastic threads. Designed to naturally break down in a home compost in just over a year.
Home Compostable04
BioTint Organic Dyes
Made in Portugal
Natural pigments extracted from organic plant waste - roots, seeds, and leaves. No synthetic chemical dyes. Because every batch is dyed by hand, no two pairs are exactly alike. That's not a flaw. That's what handmade looks like.
Certified Natural05
Cotton Canvas Upper & Tencel Threads
Made in Portugal
Natural cotton canvas — breathable, durable, free from synthetic coatings. Stitched with Tencel, a fibre from sustainably sourced wood pulp widely recognised for its ability to biodegrade naturally.
Plastic-free06
Cotton Embroidery
Made in Portugal
The tongue logo and insole mascots are cotton-embroidered, not printed. Printed details rely on plastic-based inks. Embroidery is natural, durable, and consistent with the rest of the shoe's material philosophy. Even the details matter.
No Plastic Inks
Porto, Portugal
Made in Portugal
Made by people,
not machines.
Every pair of Alphas is made by hand in a small, family-run factory in Portugal with over 30 years of shoemaking expertise. Skilled artisans bring each pair to life, stitch by stitch.
Small-batch, handcrafted production means tighter quality control, less waste, and a supply chain I can actually see and stand behind. It's slower and more expensive than mass production. That's exactly the point.
8
Skilled craftspeople
30+
Years of expertise
0
Conveyor belts
End of life
Designed with end of life
in mind.
Kids under 7 outgrow their shoes every 4–6 months. Every component - outsole, insole, upper, elastic, threads, and embroidery - is natural and plastic-free, selected with the intention that they can safely return to the earth.
01
Kid outgrows their Alphas
This happens fast. Kids under 7 outgrow their shoes every 4–6 months, which is exactly why the materials matter so much.
02
Bury them in the ground
Because every component is natural and plastic-free, you can bury them in your garden or home compost. No guilt. No landfill.
03
Planet doesn't notice a thing
They are designed to break down naturally and safely, leaving nothing harmful behind. That's bio-neutral by design.
Transparency
Why it costs what it does.
I get asked this. And I think it's a fair question.
The Alpha costs $128 because natural, biobased materials cost more than plastic ones. Because handcrafted production in a reputable European factory costs more than mass production. Because choosing suppliers based on their material values rather than their price point costs more.
What you're not paying for is a marketing budget, a celebrity endorsement, or a cheaper version of this shoe made with corners cut somewhere.
Every decision about this shoe starts with the materials. The price follows from that, not the other way around.
- ✓ Natural biobased materials cost more than plastic alternatives — and that cost is worth it.
- ✓ Handcrafted in Europe by fairly paid artisans, not in bulk factory conditions.
- ✓ Suppliers chosen for values, not price. That means higher input costs, every time.
- ✓ Small-batch production means less waste, tighter quality control, and no economies of scale.
- ✓ No greenwashing budget. Every penny goes into the shoe, not the marketing story around it.