From Jimmy Choo To ‘Earthing’ Shoes: How This Female Founder Created A Women’s Footwear Brand That Merges Luxury With Wellness

Aug 15, 2023

It was rash of autoimmune conditions that led Mariah K. Lyons on an explorative journey into her health. That journey eventually led her to creating ASTARA, a new women's footwear brand that effortlessly blends luxury and wellness.

ASTARA

Lyons, a former professional dancer tells me, "I was really immersed with the relationship with my mind and body—even at a young age." After graduating, Lyons made her way to Los Angeles and fell into fashion. "I worked my way up and eventually landed at Jimmy Choo where my joints started hurting. I had hormonal changes and my body started to fail me. I went from healthy to sick. Everything in my mind, body, and soul was telling me it was time to make the switch and leave the corporate world. My health scare aligned everything with great perspective."

Lyons's diagnosis of Endometriosis and Hashimoto's disease sent her down a rabbit hole to find solutions to regain her health. "I went deep into studies and research," shares Lyons. "There was one book that really left an impression on me entitled Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever that delves into being connected with the Earth's energy, which helps to create balance and protection from EMFs. It was in my deep exploration of my own healing process that I realized I wanted to create a product to help others heal and share my knowledge."

ASTARA Founder, Mariah K. Lyons

After leaving her corporate gig, Lyons spent years with master healers and teachers learning a variety of healing modalities before she became a meditation teacher, crystal healer, a Reiki master, and wellness designer. The idea for ASTARA she tells me, "Came to me while I was meditating. I kept seeing a shoe that people would wear that would connect them with the Earth's frequency like a battery getting recharged. From that moment, I set out to create a luxury product that was aesthetically appealing, design oriented, and that also offered a function that was helpful and not hurtful."

Lyons's sees footwear as the physical conduit from the body to the ground. "We utilize Earth elements on each pair as a reminder to care for and connect to our mind, body, and spirit, as well as our planet. That's why we attune a component that has been programmed and imprinted in every pair of our shoes to the frequency of 7.83, which is the Earth's resonance," states Lyons.

The frequency that Lyons is referring to is known the Schumann Resonances, which have been shown to positively influence health, performance, and overall well being in humans—and ironically have been popping up in my life a lot recently (I just posted an article on wellness wearables that incorporate this resonance). Lyons continues, "Our body registers the frequency of 7.83hz and it assists in calming the nervous system, lowering inflammation, and creates a feeling of calm and balance."

ASTARA

On what it is like to be a leader in new category of footwear Lyons tells me, "It's inspiring, exciting and challenging all at the same time. I feel very fortunate to be at a time and place having conscious conversations about the roles fashion can play in the overall holistic wellbeing of an individual."

Currently, there are four styles of slides. "We have new styles launching SS20 as well as a bridal capsule coming soon," states Lyons. "In the next 3-5 years we will be expanding in the accessories space with handbags, leather goods and potentially sunglasses. Apparel is on the horizon, but we are focusing first on footwear and education."

ASTARA

Each pair of Lyons’ shoes are made with vegetable tanned leather embroidered by an LA-based artisan with Reiki-charged and programmed crystals and are housed in recycled packaging. Sustainability all around is a cornerstone for the brand. Lyons adds, "We use sustainable materials on all of our wares. We just partnered with One-Tree-Planted to plant a tree for every shoe sold to help offset natural carbon emissions in the manufacturing and shipping process. It's all about connection."

Lyons continues, "With each step forward on the conscious individual's journey, we are not only grounding in beauty along our own path, but creating a global grid of individuals working towards a shared existence in community with one another and nature. We are all intertwined in one big web together. All parts make up the whole."

ASTARA

With her recent one-year anniversary, I asked Lyons what she is most of proud of accomplishing so far. Lyons responds, "I’m deeply proud and honored to be helping shift perspective, assisting people in living intentionally, and staying grounded while living a modern lifestyle. I also love hearing personal stories from customers on how incredible they feel wearing the shoes. Just last week, a customer told me how she wore her Black Onyx slides to chemo and just seeing them on her feet had helped support her emotionally to stay calm and grounded."

As an alchemist at heart, I love what Lyons has created with her shoe collection. Her designs are beautiful, incredibly comfortable, and her concept is timely. In a day and age where we are all assaulted with noise, pollution, and suffer from over stimulation, it's about time our clothing and accessories start offering some other benefits that contribute to our overall well being above and beyond healthier material selection.