SUSTAINABILITY & RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY CONSCIOUSNESS OVER GENERATIONS
As a family business, sustainable management is a special concern for us. We are already thinking about the next generation. In addition, we see every purchase decision as a personal commitment by our customers to the values of our company and our way of doing business.
To support your conscious purchasing decision, we offer you as much information as possible and direct insights behind the scenes, transparently documenting our measures to protect the planet and future generations in each of our decision-making steps. Join us in making the fashion world more sustainable Shoe by shoe.
Pictured: Christof with his grandfather, furniture designer Rolf Baum.
Are you ready to quit "fast fashion"?
Our passion "number 1" is fashion: fashion that is fun and immediately awakens the body feeling. What a moment when convincing aesthetics, sensual feel and perfect function meet!
Our passion "number 2" is Tech: We see ways instead of obstacles - make solid decisions based on data and are enthusiastic about innovative connections between science, technology and medicine. Complex problems require holistic answers. Our corporate responsibility therefore rests on the following premises.
SLOW FASHION
1. OUR DESIGNS ARE TIMELESS
Fueled by ever-changing trends, overproduction is one of the biggest environmental threats in the fashion industry. Approximately 30% of shoes produced worldwide are never worn and eventually thrown away (Fashion Industry Report 2019). To avoid impacting the environment more than necessary, we focus on timeless designs that continue to inspire for years to come.
2. WE DON'T PRODuCE ABOVE
Instead of following vague trends, we base the level of production directly on demand. We manufacture the majority of our models in order-based pre-orders. In this way, we consciously decide against mass overproduction and quick sell-offs of seasonal collections. Only as many shoes are produced as are actually worn.
3. WE LOVE THE DURABILITY OF OUR PRODUCTS
Only exquisite materials are used for every detail of the shoes to ensure longevity even under high stress - whether in hectic everyday working life or on long party nights. This results in high heels of the highest quality that will accompany you for a long time if properly cared for. More about Slow Fashion and pre-orders.
REGIONAL MANUFACTURE
4. WE PRODUCE IN PORTUGAL
70% of the shoes worn in Europe come from Asia. Safety standards and fair wage levels are often not met in the process. Added to this are environmentally damaging factors such as improper disposal of production waste and high CO2 emissions as a result of long transport routes. We source our raw materials exclusively from the EU, from Spain and Italy. The shoes are manufactured in the Portuguese shoe capital Porto. For all our products, we focus on environmentally friendly, resource-conserving and employee-friendly production as well as short transport routes that keep CO2 emissions low.
Portuguese shoemaking is a craft that is passed down from generation to generation. Manuel, manager of our shoe factory, is very proud of this long-standing tradition. His appreciation of the team of highly skilled artisans is expressed in a reasonable salary far above the usual level, basic medical care as a matter of course, and a clean, pleasant working environment.
5. WE WORk WITH FAMILY-OWNED COMPANIES
Instead of going through anonymous middlemen agencies, we know all our suppliers, all family-owned companies like us, personally: fair working conditions, family interaction and promotion of employees are in our common interest and have the highest priority. Together and constantly, we work on modernizing production and developing new, resource-saving processes in order to secure jobs in the region in the long term with innovative know-how.
We do our best to ensure that every step of production - from resource procurement to processing and delivery - meets the highest social, environmental and quality standards. Learn more about our regional supply chain.
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
6. WE USE ENvIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MATERIALS
We believe in our planet and are breaking new ground with our products not only in terms of comfort, but also environmental friendliness. Many of our styles are made from recycled materials, such as our "Thunit" shoe soles made from recycled leather and rubber scraps, which are also much more abrasion resistant and durable than leather shoe soles. For the sake of the environment, we completely eliminate plastic in the packaging of our shoes: shoe boxes made from recycled cardboard contain shoe bags made from 100% biodegradable bamboo fiber.
Each material used is subject to our thorough testing and consideration of aesthetic, functional and environmental aspects. For example, despite environmentally friendly production, we have refrained from using vegetable-tanned leather, because it disintegrates after a short period of wear and thus does not meet our demand for durability and longevity.
7. WE USE CERTIFIED LEATHER
Because of its durability and unique adaptability to the foot, we use traditionally tanned leather instead - but source it exclusively from tanneries that are committed to ethical treatment of animals and water-friendly waste management systems. Leather we use is always a byproduct of the meat industry - and never an animal kill in itself. Learn more about our materials.
