Bared Footwear

Eco Friendly

"We are Australia’s first B Corp certified footwear label! B Corps are businesses that stand by the highest social and environmental standards for people and the planet. Values we live by, and we now have the stamp to prove it. We take sustainability very seriously, it is incredibly important to us to use the most sustainable materials we can for our shoes such as natural rubbers, sugarcane footbeds and Gold Rated leather. From our efforts to reduce our global footprint to upcycling leather offcuts into Dog Collars & Leads, our journey has just begun. While our shoes aren't perfect it is our goal to continue to improve until we have a 100% eco-certified shoe that is designed with a focus on restoring nature rather than repairing the damage. It is a long road ahead but we are dedicated to becoming a fully circular and zero-waste business. We will always continue to question our processes, source more sustainably and make a positive impact on the community."

Fair

"From the start, it has always been incredibly important for us to treat each other like family. It’s important to us that we’re close with our factories, and just like our stores, the focus is quality, sustainability and our team. Our primary factory is a family-owned and run business, located in Dongguan, China. We've been working with Mr Deng and Mrs Qiang for the past thirteen years and have a wonderful relationship with them. A team of 97 craftsmen create only our shoes, and we ensure the highest safety and employment standards are met and exceeded. As our journey continues to create great-looking shoes that are kinder to our planet, we have expanded our manufacturing to factories in Brazil and Portugal. These new factories have allowed us to start producing footbeds made from sugarcane. We are excited about using this renewable resource and reducing our use of petroleum-based materials. Each factory is third-party audited to measure working conditions, social compliance and adhere to the Fair Labour Association Code of Conduct. We hold our factories to a high-level environmental standard, too. We understand changes can often be hard and expensive, so we actively work alongside the team to provide any support they need to facilitate changes in this area. We strictly have no child labour, no slavery and pay well above or at least the minimum award rate in every area of the business."

Minimal Waste

"As the world's second most polluting industry, it's no secret fashion isn't sustainable. While we understand we're a part of the problem, we're committed to being part of the solution, too. Minimising waste is at the heart of everything we do. We monitor all waste via an internal tracker and have set a 5% annual target for reduction. We consciously design to minimise waste and any scrap materials are upcycled. We currently upcycle our leather offcuts into dog collars and leads and have big things planned for 2022. Our development process is minimal and reusable as we repeat shoe lasts, so we don't end up with sample dead stock. We have partnered with a Melbourne-based company, Save Our Soles, and together we transform pre-loved shoes (Bared or not!) into rubber mats for gym and playground flooring. The rubber mats are leased, and once they’re used, are recycled and repurposed again."

Give Back

"We have pledged to donate at least 1% of our annual profits. We have a long-standing partnership with The Hunger Project (THP), a non-profit dedicated to ending world hunger. To kick off our partnership in 2019, we donated a portion of every shoe sold for one month directly to THP and raised $40,000 to the people of Adonkwanta Epicentre in Ghana. From there, we raised $60,000 to help re-capitalise the farming inputs loan program in Malawi. In 2020, we introduced the 'Hornbill THP' sneaker to our range in three colourways, $50 for every sneaker sold is donated directly to empowering the communities of Malawi. In 2021, we introduced THP socks to our range, $10 for every pack sold is donated to THP. To date, we have donated over $200,000 (& counting!). We have a long-standing partnership with Children's Ground, an organisation committed to creating an empowered future for the next generation of Aboriginal children. To support our community, we collaborate with Aboriginal artists and transform their artwork into limited-edition sneakers. ​$50 for every pair sold is donated to empower our First Nations peoples. Since 2019, we have donated $37,250 directly to Children's Ground with our next collaboration in the works for 2022. When the 2020 bushfires burnt an estimated 16.9 million hectares, destroying over 3,344 homes in Australia, we felt helpless. To show our support, we donated $15,000 to the Salvation Army Disaster Relief."

Transparent

"We have a personal and close-knit relationship with all our suppliers. We work closely together to know exactly how our shoes are made, work out how much our labourers are paid, where our materials come from and what processes are used to finish our products and materials. Our goal is to have a fully traceable supply chain all the way back to the farm, however, this is a work in progress. Our promise is we will continue to work on this until we can provide full transparency for our customers."