Save the world, one pair of feet at a time!
But seriously. This here is the place for adding our plans and dreams. Once they come true, they may move on, into a category called "Products" for example. Or they might be marked as a work-in-progress or marked as completed or successful or something alike. True, we also have plans and dreams that aren’t so material, but that are nevertheless important for us. Like raising the awareness of shoe-wearers by introducing and providing good footwear and useful information. Or the idea that no child or adult should suffer due to improper, i.e. damaging footwear. We cannot solve the latter problem completely, but we can do our small part. And we will.
Here’s what we would like to do in the big scale:
- Raise awareness about barefootwear, its good and bad sides, advantages and disadvantages by working with or referring to orthopaedists, physiotherapists and practitioners. How? We will start by adding links and articles to this webpage that help you navigate better in this "barefoot-world", to help you find better shoes or boots for your feet and to walk in them successfully for a long time.
- Provide sustainable quality barefootwear to a knowledgeable wearer. This is the main reason behind the creation of No(N)s and what we do.
Who is this "knowledgeable wearer"? We define them as someone who isn’t coming to this webstore demanding "sexy high heels", but who either already knows what a barefoot shoe is and is shopping for a comfy and quality pair or one who is willing to learn and try them out. We on the other hand strive to provide the best possible footwear as well as necessary and useful information.
What is the definition of this “sustainable quality barefootwear”? We care deeply for both the quality of craftsmanship as well as the materials and sustainability of our footwear. And comfort and good impact on feet above all. And that sustainability also means that the shoes should be usable without clauses like "this shoe must never get wet!", "not to be worn on asphalt" or "not to be...whatever". Of course, everything comes with a price and impact on the footwear, but we strive to produce footwear that would endure most ways of sensible and ad hoc use. Assuming, that the wearer understands and takes into account the features and characteristics of the shoes and will not dry full leather shoes in a campfire or expect wellie-like waterproofness from leather boots, nor be unreasonably cruel to them and disappointed when the shoes don’t last forever and look different from when they were fresh out-of-the-box.
No shoe will last forever or be indestructible. And if it is (or close to it), it is at the expense of something else. For example, foot-friendliness, comfort or the environment. No(N)s will not last forever. But they are designed and produced to last for as long as possible in caring hands. And when they start to wear out or fall apart, they are repairable and mendable. The leather can be patched, seams resewn, and the sole can be replaced either partially or as a whole. We will start providing bot patches (or material for them) and replacement soles.
When No(N)s are finally so tired and worn out that repairing them is no longer possible or sensible, then they are disposable in an environment-friendly way. Almost all of the shoe or boot is biodegradable, with the exception of the sole, that should be disposed as household waste, as well as the long laces and lace-ends. The uppers and lining of the shoes and boots are made of natural leather, as is the pinsole (i.e the invisible construction sole). The reinforcement between the upper linings is 100% cotton jersey. So, everything left behind after rotting away is a bit of synthetic thread and some traces of glue (and the sole and lace-ends or laces that you disposed of separately). The metal aiglets take longest to decompose, but they will.
We have had some questions that are somewhat connected to what was stated above:
Why don't we use vegan materials? The simple answer? We have not found a vegan leather that is biodegradable and sustainable in the long run. Most of them are more or less synthetic. Yes, we have heard of one material that is almost 90% biodegradable, but that is not yet available for everyone. We will keep our eyes open, and if something good becomes more readily available, we will give it a try. Up until then we will make high-quality leather shoes.
Why do we dislike synthetics? Mostly because it does "not sprout nor rot" (an old Estonian saying) and mostly doesn’t breathe either. Of course there are foot-friendly textiles out there, and we don’t exclude them completely from our potential list of usable materials, but for now our main goal is to produce good leather footwear with a minimal amount of synthetic additions (and there aren't many shoes like this out there...). Also - most of the animals whose hides we use have been useful to mankind in other ways too (most of the leather used for footwear comes from dairy or beef cattle).
Therefore, we strive to:
- help spread the sustainable way of living by minimizing non-degradable waste;
- help promote the health of our clients’ feet and thus their overall well-being.
What models are we planning, designing or testing? What’s coming up next?
- More waterproof mid-calf-length simple boots with laces and zippers - in progress, will be out soon
- Warm winter boots with lambskin lining, ankle-length with laces and zippers - in progress, will be out soon
- Summer shoes - in progress
- Sandals - in progress
- Children’s shoes – being planned
- Bigger and smaller sizes for everything...