Bared Footwear

What made you start Bared Footwear?

As a podiatrist, I couldn’t find any shoes that I could recommend that were good for your feet that I would actually want to wear myself. There was a clear gap in the market for shoes that looked great and had all of the features that make them comfortable and good for your feet.

Do you have a morning routine? If so what is it you do to set yourself up for the day ahead?

I have always been someone that goes to bed early and gets up early. Most mornings I wake at 5.45 to exercise then run around getting kids off to school. My day certainly doesn’t start with meditation and a green juice but it seems to work for me.

What’s the biggest barrier you’ve found to succeeding as a socially conscious business?

I believe that a socially conscious business is one that uses profits and growth to create a positive impact across the globe. For reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of jobs with dignity and purpose. However, this can be easier said than done, and I believe that it is important to be fully transparent when it comes to this. It is important not falsely advertise or settle for Green Washing, instead be open and honest with the fact that things are not going to change overnight but as a company, we are striving for better and will continue to do so, until our company can be fully circular and zero waste and our focus can turn to restoring nature rather than reversing the harm caused.

Within the ethical fashion community, there’s a big question that we ask which is ‘who made my clothes?’. In the scope of Bared Footwear, who made your shoes? Can you tell us a bit about them?

At Bared, our suppliers are considered part of the team. For over eight years our shoes have been made in a family-run business out of China and since 2020 we have expanded our production to Brazil and Portugal.

All suppliers that work for Bared comply with the Fair Labour Association Workplace Code of Conduct. We ensure via 3rd party auditing that workers throughout the entire supply chain are paid a living wage, have safe and clean working conditions, reasonable working hours, abide by all local laws and social standards and most importantly have a happy and open work environment. We also provide our suppliers with further training and support so they can continue to grow with us.

Why did you pick the fabrics you have chosen to work with?

We are constantly searching for materials that are kinder to our environment. In an ideal world, we would make a shoe with materials that are completely natural and could decompose organically adding nutrients back into the soil. Unfortunately, we are still a long way from developing this shoe. Footwear is a complex product to make with many components. We want our shoes to be comfortable and durable. Thankfully we are not the only brand in the world trying to do better and there are some incredibly exciting new innovations being developed in the footwear industry at the moment.

We are really excited to be working with Everco to produce our new footbeds. Our footbeds have traditionally been made out of Polyurethane (PU) which is a petroleum-based product. These footbeds have been an incredibly important part of our brand and we couldn’t change the material until we found an environmentally friendly material that could perform equally. Our new Everco footbed is made from the biowaste of corn production and its properties are superior to the PU that we have been using.

We use as much natural rubber in our outsoles as we can and use recycled plastic bottles to produce all of our laces and some upper materials. All of our leathers are Leather Working Group Certified Gold Rated, which ensures all our leathers are produced with a high environmental and ethical compliance and are bi-product of the meat industry, which in turn saves millions of hides globally from landfill or incineration every year.

Best piece of advice you have ever received?

The most common form of laziness is being too busy. Do the hard stuff first.

One book everyone should read? Why?

Melinda Gates – The Moment Of Lift

I read this while on a trip to Africa to see the work that The Hunger Project does on the ground in Malawi. I believe all of us that live in the developed world have an obligation to give to those less fortunate. Melinda explains the importance of educating and empowering women to truly make generational change.

Giving certainly does not need to be to international organizations but finding something that you are passionate about and doing what you can to help is incredibly rewarding.

Any other Movers & Shakers out there that you think people should know about?

I am really impressed with M.J Bales initiatives in tackling climate change. Their truly proactive approach is inspiring. M.J Bale is conducting trials with Merino ewes in which they are fed a mixture of barley and eco-friendly Asparagosis Taxiformis seaweed, which is a native red Australian Seaweed. This Seaweed has been shown to reduce the methane production of sheep and therefore decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Given that livestock contribute approximately 10% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, finding a new way to produce this sustainable and biodegradable natural fibre at the farm level with close to zero greenhouse gas emissions, could significantly help the fight against climate change.

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