Perks and Challenges of Operating in the Slow-Fashion Industry
Three years ago, when we laid the foundation of our brand, we made a clear choice: to commit to the slow fashion movement. This decision wasn’t just a trend, but a meaningful and thoughtful approach. By focusing on sustainability, ethics, and quality, we defined our mission: to offer footwear that respects the health of your feet while minimizing our environmental impact. How? By using innovative, organic, and recycled materials, coupled with thoughtful and deliberate production processes. However, while this path is meaningful, it also comes with many challenges.
The Challenges of Slow Fashion for a Barefoot Footwear Brand
1. Sourcing Sustainable Materials
One of the cornerstones of slow fashion is the use of innovative, environmentally-friendly materials. However, finding these materials can be both costly and time-consuming. Each raw material must meet strict sustainability criteria and undergo testing to ensure it can stand the test of time. This process is lengthy and requires great attention to detail. For a brand like ours, which produces barefoot shoes, the challenge is even greater as materials need to be not only eco-friendly but also physiologically appropriate for the foot.
2. Longer Production Timelines
Slow fashion operates in direct contrast to the speed of fast fashion. Sourcing materials from various suppliers, often specializing in ethical products, takes time. Additionally, we are dependent on their availability. This has caused delays in the past. While this slowness is inevitable, it remains a challenge to meet the expectations of consumers accustomed to instant gratification. The need for thoughtful production to avoid overproduction also complicates managing production timelines.
3. Managing Lean Inventory
One of the key principles of slow fashion is producing in small quantities to avoid waste. This presents a dual challenge: maintaining enough inventory to meet demand while avoiding excess stock, which would go against our ethics. Finding this balance is not simple. It requires anticipating customer needs while managing production constraints.
4. Transparency and Traceability: A Long-Term Commitment
From the start, transparency has been a strong commitment of ours at Fleeters. But putting this into practice is a challenge. Each supplier has their own practices, and working closely with them to ensure a fully transparent supply chain is a demanding task. We have chosen to partner with experts like BCome, who help us trace every step of our production, from raw material sourcing to delivery. Traceability is key to building trust with our customers, but it also requires a significant investment of time and resources.
Customer Perks of Embracing Slow Fashion
1. Healthier, More Durable Shoes
By choosing slow fashion products, our customers invest in footwear that is not only minimalist and physiologically supportive but also built to last. The quality of materials and manufacturing processes ensures that every pair of Fleeters barefoot shoes is made to endure, offering unmatched comfort while minimizing wear and tear.
2. A More Thoughtful, Responsible Consumption
Adopting a slow fashion mindset encourages a rethink of how we consume. For our customers, this means buying less, but buying better. Our shoes are not fleeting consumer goods but durable investments that help break the fast-fashion consumption cycle. In addition to making an ethical choice, they’re making a long-term economic one.
3. Reducing Environmental Impact
Every pair of Fleeters is designed with the aim of minimizing its environmental footprint. Thanks to our efforts and our collaboration with BCome, we’ve obtained concrete data on the environmental benefits of our products. In 2024, our sneaker production will have saved the equivalent of 342,000 bottles of water and reduced CO2 emissions by 29%. Our shoes also help reduce eutrophication by 10% and save 33% of abiotic resources compared to industry standards. These savings are crucial for the planet, and our customers play a direct role in this responsible approach by choosing Fleeters.
Our Impact: Measuring and Taking Action
At Fleeters, we firmly believe that every action counts. We don’t just produce more sustainable shoes; we actively work to protect the planet. Through our partnership with BCome, we conduct life cycle assessments (LCA) of our products, allowing us to objectively measure the environmental impact at every stage of production. Additionally, we are financially committed to environmental causes through our collaboration with the NGO “1% for the Planet,” donating a portion of our revenue to organizations dedicated to protecting the environment.
Our Vision: Building a Better Future Through Responsible Fashion
Embracing a slow fashion model is a significant challenge for a barefoot shoe brand like ours, but the benefits for our customers and the planet are undeniable. By combining innovation, transparency, and ethical commitment, we’re creating products that not only serve a practical, long-lasting purpose but also embody strong values. We believe that the future of fashion, and specifically barefoot shoes, lies in this blend of quality, ethics, and environmental respect.
Learn more about the story behind Fleeters.
