In case you're wondering (or have wondered) we've always made our shoes in China. Other than some pretty sick hurraches we made back in the day in Mexico, China has always been the home of Simple manufacturing. If you poke around the inside of your pair, you should be able to find the label that shows where your shoes were born. Most likely, that label says China (whether you're wearing our shoes or someone else's).
We've been getting a bunch of emails about where we make our shoes. And to be honest, a lot of these emails have bummed me out. But yesterday, I got an amazing email that totally changed my point of view.
In case you didn't know, we're trying to change the way shoes are made... from the inside out. We do this by using sustainable materials like car tires, recycled plastics, natural rubber, and organic cotton, reducing the amount of glues we use to make our (there's a bunch of other stuff, too). As some of you know, when you're the one marching to the beat of a different drummer, the stepping is a bit challenging. Along the way, most likely after everyone stops thinking you're weird, the criticism starts.
Instead of taking it to heart, we're going to focus on the good stuff we're doing... every step forward takes a lot of work, and we're proud of what we're doing. We hope you are, too.
hugs,
cielo
Hello,
I'm an Industrial Design student at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. I'm interested in what potential there is to be employed designing shoes for Simple. I respect the eco-design and have been familiar with the product. I'm also interested in knowing where the company headquaters are, or atleast where your design headquarters are (specific town location would be appreciated). Thank you.
God bless,
Ryan
Posted by: Ryan Smith | November 09, 2007 at 10:56 AM
Hey,
Don't let the haters get to you. Consider: imported products are generally accustomed to lower quality control and greater waste in the production. Since your shoes by their very nature are earth friendly, REALLY, you are improving the mindset of the place where your shoes are created, may it be China or somewhere else.
Those manufacturing your shoes are being forced to reconsider the processes around them. So, you're spreading the goodness of thought in places where it may be most lacking.
Posted by: Jennifer | November 09, 2007 at 02:48 PM
Hi,
I was wondering why your shoes are manufactured in China when you are trying to make an eco-friendly product. Wouldn't the amount of energy and pollution emitted to ship them back to the US, be it by plane or boat, cancel out the positive aspects of the product?
Posted by: Michelle | November 15, 2007 at 03:59 PM
Michelle, that is a good question. I think it's important to note, however, that there aren't many materials for shoes in the US, but there are in China. So assembling the shoes in China is actually not necessarily the cause of any extra energy expenditure.
I LOVE my Simple Shoes, and although nothing is perfect, i'm proud to recommend them to everyone I know! It's really inspiring to know that there ARE companies out there whose goals go beyond just making big money.
Posted by: Jane | November 15, 2007 at 04:12 PM
For us it has to do with progress. We wanted to change our industry and our company and set out on a quest to do so.
The truth is the expertise, equipment, sourcing, etc. of footwear are all located outside of the U.S. We would love to one day do local manufacturing...maybe one day the conditions around will allow for that.
I would say that our efforts are paying off because the shoes we make today are better than those we made yestserday, and better than our competitors. The shipping energy issue is more than a footwear one, but one of the global economy accross industries.
We don't claim to be perfect, but promise we are going to work to be better and better going forward. Action speak louder than words...and you'll see. Thanks for the question.
Posted by: Grizz | November 15, 2007 at 04:14 PM
I'm not sure I understand the haters. Yes, the shoes have to be transported from China...but if they're made from recycled goods, then isn't that one positive point above all the other shoes made in China?
Maybe one day you guys can get the support to in some way be able to produce in the US...until then, keep doing what you're doing. It's appreciated.
Posted by: Lauren | November 16, 2007 at 04:47 PM
Thanks Lauren - that is exactly how we feel. We are making the best effort we can. We aren't a bunch of corpo's trying to cash in on the environmental movement..we feel apart of it. How would a shoe company do its part to change? We think we are just an example. We aren't perfect...yet, but are proud of the progress made so far, and the ideas we still have to roll out.
Posted by: Grizz | November 17, 2007 at 07:52 AM
A friend sent me to this website to check out Simple shoes. I like your approach. I vote with my wallet, and my big issues are social and environmental. I want to buy shoes made in an environmentally sustainable way but I can't buy shoes from a company that doesn't guarantee a living wage and safe and humane working conditions for the people making the product, regardless where it's made. You are off to a good start and I will keep an eye out for this company. I look forward to the day when you enact strict protection of your workers' human rights. Then I will most happily become a customer.
Posted by: Stan | November 19, 2007 at 06:53 PM
Hi Stan
I think you are mistaken, we actually do guarantee all of those conditions for fair pay, safety, and rights for our workers. You can view our factory charter under the "about" section...
Also - Co Op America (www.CoOpAmerica.org), an organization we are proud to be a member of, guarantees such conditions are acurate to their conditions.
Posted by: Grizz | November 20, 2007 at 08:41 AM
to be honest, i WILL NOT buy your shoes. the reason? they're made in china. i will not send any money to a country that abuses human rights as viciously as china has. i will not support a system of unfair labor. i applaud your effort to recycle, but acting as if there's no other place to make reasonably priced sneakers is pure nonsense. blackspot sneakers are made from ecologically friendly materials in a portugese union shop. i would imagine they get paid many times more than your poor chinese laborers, and yet the sneakers cost the same as yours.
doing a responsible thing (recycling) and then offsetting it be doing an irresponsible thing (supporting a horribly oppressive labor system) brings you right back to square one. try improving your manufacturing methods so you can actually start moving forward.
the guarantees you mention in your 'factory charter' are bogus. you're simply saying you abide by the bare minimum laws of your employee's country. well, that doesn't count for much in china. with a manufacturing process like this, it makes your company look ridiculous and hypocritical in the face of other companies who pay truly fair wages to their laborers.
if a lot of these emails "bum you out," they should. what you're doing is wrong and you should pay attention to your conscience. quit clinging on to those few emails that encourage you to continue down this path and start listening to what these other folks are saying. then, and only then, will i spend my money with you. and i have a feeling other folks will join in.
Posted by: mike | December 09, 2007 at 09:41 PM
I was wondering if y'all would be willing to post a video of your factory and the workers.
thanks.
Posted by: Vero | December 10, 2007 at 02:52 PM
The laws "protecting" workers in China are hopelessly inadequate, and Chinese factory owners are well known for expending tremendous energy in their efforts to fool foreign inspectors, rather than investing that same energy in actually fixing their abusive practices. New Balance, among others, has proven that shoes, including vegan shoes, can be successfully produced in the US at competitive costs. I don't happen to demand Made in America, but I do happen to demand Made in a Free Country by Free People not victims of a brutal totalitarian regime. If that bums you out, good. That means you still have a soul.
Posted by: fish | January 07, 2008 at 04:01 PM
Consumers as such are alienated beings, confined to their role as atomized purchasers of commodities. To try to determine labor and/or environmental standards by buying or not buying particular items is like trying to clean up a river by selecting only the non-polluted drops of water.
In a corrupted system, degraded labor and environmental content is spread throughout the entire system. Even if you find a pair of shoes that is sourced all the way back to recycled rubber tires, etc., the original tires were produced by a polluting industry and used to drive a polluting vehicle for tens of thousands of miles. And the various workers who molded those tires into shoes were probably wearing prison-produced Chinese garments from Wal-Mart.
You cannot change the world by making consumption choices.
I repeat:
You cannot change the world by making consumption choices.
All that you will succeed in doing is artificially assuaging some guilt by being more "pure" than anybody else.
Truly responsible products can only compete with products that exploit the environment and labor in a niche market, because the rape of the environment and labor result in cost savings that make the resulting products less expensive.
To change the world you need to organize to influence public policy (e.g., by foring the cancellation of NAFTA, CAFTA, APEC and other agreements that allow products to be freely imported from cheap labor and anti-environment havens), which generally means forcing government to act on behalf of the planet and its citizens. That requires a movement, not just careful consumption choices.
Posted by: Post Consumer Content | May 16, 2008 at 08:37 PM
I bought a pair of Simples 7-8 yrs ago and wear them regularly to this day. This tells you that the designers, materials, people & machines involved have done a good job in making the shoe.
Today I stumbled upon Simple's website and saw that the company is headed in a new direction trying to make a difference in the world, and you can see they've devoted their lives to it. I think this is to be appreciated & supported. We can't simply be consumers and pour our feedback randomly & angrily back at a company which is obviously trying to do good things - we need to try to find good solutions together.
I also have an issue with things made in China due to political & economic reasons, especially now that the economy tells you it'd be good if American workers had the opportunity to have jobs. At the same time I'm sure Chinese workers are hard-working people whom we've benefited from greatly despite the fact that their own government might not respect that and allow lesser conditions for them. Wouldn't we only respect them more if we also talk about THEM and how THEY've made all these great shoes? In my eyes Simple would only mean more if we get to meet these people and see what the shoe-making process is to fully appreciate it, be it in video or text on the website.
Your company has made great strides in a new direction by reusing materials very creatively. I'm sure you've made sure that the resources put into converting these materials so they're fit to use are efficient enough and environmentally-friendly enough so that at the end it makes sense for it all to happen.
Like the person commenting above, I think it would take more than a handful of consumers avoiding certain products and practices. In the meantime we need to support organizations like Simple who are trying to make a difference and are working hard for it.
Posted by: pet | November 08, 2008 at 06:08 AM
What a cop out. I read the same indignant response from the guys at Sanuk. Don't talk about simple living when you rely on cheap labor and giant ships to deliver your products. I'm glad I looked into this before buying your shoes.
Posted by: Tony Wilson | March 09, 2009 at 09:52 PM
Made in the USA is important to me. We need to support the American worker!
A global economy should not mean the USA has to lose it's manufacturing base to countries who have no respect or consideration for it's workers or environment.
Ed DeLauter
Posted by: Ed DeLauter | September 11, 2009 at 05:57 AM
I HAVE A COUPLE PAIRS OF YOUR SHOES AND IT WAS MY FAULT TO ASSUME THEY WERE MADE IN THE USA. BUT AFTER CHECKING TO SEE WHAT SHOES ARE MADE IN THE USA I CAME ACROSS YOUR WEBSITE AND FOUND OUT THAT YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN NIKE OR ADIDAS. IF NEW BALANCE CAN MAKE SOME OF THERE SHOES HERE THAN YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TOO. ONE LESS CUSTOMER.
Posted by: Matt | December 03, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I was so excited to see all of your shoes on sale today at 6pm.com they are all $16.95 and under. BUT now I understand why is because your shoes are made in China. There is no reason or way to justify this. There are many shoe companies in the US that are "sustainable" and "vegan" so you do not have the right to call people "haters" just for protesting the fact they are made in China. That is uncalled for. I will not buy your shoes until they are made somewhere else. Also, your shoes are not sustainable if you are using wool. The wool is not "simply sheared off" when ready. That's rediculous! The sheep have their tails cut off and they are treated very bad. Guess where they eventually end up? For slaughter of course. Cut out the wool, and cut out the cheap labor.
Posted by: Cheryl Devine | December 20, 2009 at 02:29 PM
How about be an eco friendly shoe and manufacture your shoes in a developed country where you guys wont get away with cheap labor? Or is that too much?
Posted by: Michael | January 05, 2010 at 09:21 PM
I'm a long time simple oldschool wearer and was turned on to the shoes in the mid 1990s. The oldschool is a great all around sneaker and perfect for skateboarding with great life expectancy. But I'm afraid I haven't purchased a pair in a long time. I agree with many posters here that to tout Eco freindliness on one hand and justify overseas manufacturing on the other is simply hypocritical. The average cargo ship burns oil at the rate of 1 gallon every 20-40 feet. Last time I checked china is long way off. The typical cross pacific or cross Atlantic journey consumes over 250,000 gallons of oil and pumps out more pollution than every car in California combined. In my opinion you'd be more Eco friendly if you made your shoes out of whale blubber and unicorn hide. This isn't an attack on your company as practically no one makes shoes here in the USA anymore. So I've pretty much stopped buying products from companies that outsource their manufacturing to foreign countries. I would encourgae other posters here to do the same. There are lots of resources online that will direct you to companies that still manufacture here you just have to look a little harder.
Posted by: Ryan Nahapetian | February 01, 2010 at 12:52 PM
Question? If materials are more assessable in China, where did we make all of our shoes in the sixties and seventies?
Posted by: Dan | February 20, 2010 at 09:37 AM
I just bought a new pair of Simple Shoes' Carport Elastics last week, to replace my No Sweat sneakers that had worn out. I would have liked to get a new pair of No Sweats, but unfortunately as the company has recently folded, I have gone in search of a new brand.
I'm overall happy, but I somewhat regret buying the shoes at a store without fully researching the background. Ultimately, I'm more concerned with human lives and well-being, even if I'm only abstractly connected to it, than environmental impact. Being made in China alone is not damning for me—in fact, if labor standards were personally enforced for factories in countries with human-rights abuses, I would prefer that to US-made products as it would help create alternatives within those countries. My own background is from South Asia, and I know how desperately fair labor opportunities are needed there (far more than in the US).
The conditions laid out in the "about us" section, as well as the Co Op America connection (which I just checked—it has been renamed to "The National Green Pages," and I didn't find either Simple Shoes or Deckers listed anymore) are a start, but as another post I came across notes, Nike has similar guidelines. Obviously, larger and purely profit-driven companies like Nike avoid responsibility and hide behind plausible deniability by contracting out production, and I doubt Simple Shoes is doing anything deliberately malicious; but unfortunately, it's very difficult (I assume especially so for small companies) to monitor production that is contracted out, making these guidelines hard to enforce in practice. Abuse in the absence of close control is not automatic, but it's still a long way from companies that go out of their way to guarantee fair benefits for their employees (No Sweat, if I recall correctly, gave its factory workers in Malaysia family health insurance, holiday bonuses, and sick leave).
I applaud your efforts to make ethically conscious shoes, and congratulate you for the success you have had thus far. A large part of why I bought your shoes is because I do try to vote with my wallet; but also, I bought your shoes over, say, Blackspot (whose labor standards I knew about beforehand) because I liked the look and fit of your brand far better. Not being an entrepreneur myself, I'm sure I can't even begin to imagine the challenges of making any products that are high quality, stylish, environmentally sustainable, financially successful and perhaps even scalable, made with fair labor practice, and reasonably priced, in addition to the normal enormous challenges of organizing a business, and I have enormous respect for your efforts and dedication. The difficulty is only emphasized by the failure of the last company I patronized (No Sweat). But, as you continue to meet the challenges you have already admirably overcome, I hope that in the future you will work towards adding fair labor practices to the list of things that you closely control and explicitly address in your supply chain.
-M. M.
Posted by: M. M. | April 06, 2010 at 10:31 AM
Wow,great content and your blog design is just gorgeous. Is this template free or not. If so, would you please share this template? if not, Where can i purchase it? Thanks a bunch!
Posted by: Retro Jordan | April 18, 2010 at 06:20 PM
I am disappointed to find out they are made in China. I could have sworn they were made in Santa Barbara in the past. But, I guess these are more environmentally friendly and socially conscious than other shoes made in China. And, shipping by cargo ship is actually the most fuel efficient way to send products
around the world.
Posted by: Diana | April 23, 2010 at 08:29 AM
How lucky to have your own lovely model ready and waiting. I'm very happy to announce some very exciting news, about buying cheap Jordan shoes.
Posted by: Cheap Jordans | April 26, 2010 at 01:43 AM