Our hope on International Women's Day

It’s International Women’s Day and as we speak 98% of factory workers in the fashion industry are not paid enough to meet their most basic needs. 75% are women between the ages of 18-24.
 
Now this has been going on for decades.  Most of our clothes and shoes are made in countries in which workers’ rights are limited or nonexistent. In fact, production sites are regularly moving locations, and big brands are on the lookout for ever cheaper labor costs.
 
So you might hear some say "for these workers, it is better than nothing”, or “at least we give them a job”, and to a certain extent, they are right.  But it is also right to say that they are exploiting the misery and taking advantage of poor populations who have no choice but to work for any salary, in any working conditions.  
 
By yours and my standard, these are slave working conditions. 
 
Does anyone really feel good about slipping a on a pair of shoes or a dress made this way?
 
We envision a fashion industry where every woman earns a living wage and works in a safe environment.

We started our company to offer an alternative way to shop. Now we were in the business and we were exposed to this before the media and influencers started talking about it. We had a hunch that if it was disturbing to us that others would feel that same way.

Here is why our shoe-making process is different

Here at BENDY, our shoes are made in our home state of California by some pretty dedicated ladies (and gents). We can ensure that fair wages, safe working conditions and no child labor is used in making our shoe. We support a community of shoemakers in Los Angeles.

So today, we bring this important issue forward to shine a light on the women all over the world working in difficult conditions. We encourage you to get curious about where and how your goods are made and use your purchasing power to support ethically made products.

Shop ethically made shoes