I’ll be honest with you- Lauren and I were both a little nervous to get into this business. With the media portrayal of fashion being so “ugly” and shallow, we were concerned that we would have to sell our souls to make it. While there is certainly an ugly side of this industry, we strive to bring a level of consciousness and depth to everything we do. Here are the different ways that we aim to turn the reputation on its head:
- Throwaway trends: lets face it, we’re in this business to make money. If you think there is something wrong with that, stop reading now and please email me with a detailed plan of how you’re able to live well and create something special for people without money. Now that we’re past that, the issue lies with designers constantly changing trends in order to keep the customer buying. All cynicism aside, it would be really boring if we didn’t come out with new items each season. No one likes to wear the same things all the time and most of us are really in this business because we enjoy the creative process. At the same time, we think its important to create shoes made to last, both in terms of timeless style and quality that lasts. This idea has inspired our Signature Collection - a core collection of key pieces that go beyond seasonal boundaries and are intended to remain timelessly chic for years to come. While I love wearing our newest and latest each season, for many business meetings I still gravitate to a sample pair of Star Anise from Fall ’06 - they are still in excellent condition and they never fail me.
- Waste: From using recycled wood heels to recycled last boards to eliminating dyeing where possible, we aim to reduce waste in every way possible. Simply by working with smaller, family-run factories there is a natural level of conservation - they don’t have a lot of warehouse space for extra materials and they cannot afford to waste time, money or resources. They have a genuine interest in conserving for the planet and their pocketbook, which is good for everyone involved.
- Fair Trade/Worker’s Rights: As mentioned above, we only work with small, family-run factories in countries where workers are paid a fair wage and treated according to standards set by the US or the EU.
- Product Creation: Our designs are not copied or born out of some focus group lab where people analyze what sells and what doesn’t. It’s the two of us, gathering inspiration from people, places and objects and brainstorming what we can create that’s unique while being classic and wearable. We draw a lot of inspiration from the materials that we find, and that process involves a level of artistic vision and connection with the universe that I never experienced before creating something from scratch. It’s an amazing experience to see something you’ve created come to life and I highly recommend it!
- General “bitchiness”: The best part about Charmoné is that Lauren and I genuinely like each other and have a great time. Even with all the stress we’ve encountered, I have laughed more in the past 3 years than in the previous 10 working in high tech. We’ve been very fortunate to have worked with wonderful people in this business and will continue to do so, simply refusing to deal with those that don’t have the best interests of our customers, the earth and animals at heart.
So there you have it- we’re doing our best to create an inspiring company that brings great product, lots of fun and genuine depth to an industry so often associated with negativity. I hope to grow to the point of bringing a lot more people in on this to share the joy.
