Oxford shoes and boots for military schools and institutions.

Sustainability

At every level, Bootmakers embodies our core values of sustainability and mindfulness.

How are we mindful?

Suppliers

Our handmade, custom boots are crafted by artisan cobblers. Creating boots and shoes by hand is an art passed through generations – this art is fading even in India. Each year it is harder to find skilled cobblers willing to make our high-quality boots. We provide skills training and guidance so our cobblers can create more than great quality products, we seek to prepared for other international suppliers. Through this effort we ensure they have a sustainable source of income, only by paying them fair prices for the boots but also helping them financially during family emergencies. 

Our semi-custom and standard size shoes are prepared in factories. We specifically select these factories to ensure that they are aligned with our sustainability goals. We work with factories that are SA - 8000 certified providing safe working conditions and fair wages. 

Quality

We can say with pride that our shoes and boots last 2-3 times longer than our competitors. Durability means less waste, and less unused materials heading to landfills. How does that effect our sales? While we may have less frequent customer orders, we believe that investing in durability is critical to our mission of sustainability.

Messaging and education

Vidhya Iyer, our founder and CEO, has been passionate about sustainability throughout her life. In the 90s, as a parent of young daughters, she would drive long distances to farms and food co-ops to make sure her family ate as much organic, pesticide-free produce, hormone-free milk and butter. After meeting several sustainable businesses and entrepreneurs, she launched her podcast -- Mindful Businesses – where she interviews businesses that are mindful in their practices and processes. On Mindful Businesses, she shares new and innovative sustainable practices, and introduces consumers to green products.

Giving

At Bootmakers, we know there are passionate riders and polo players who would love to own a pair of our boots but are prevented by tough financial circumstances. Every year, we donate several of our boots to polo academies and riders in need. If you are a coach and you know of an eligible player who would benefit from our boots, email us at info@bootmakers.us with a short description why you believe that this student would be an ideal candidate for a pro bono pair of Bootmakers boots.

We keep pushing forward

Sustainability is a journey – we are constantly re-evaluating and re-assessing step of the supply chain to ensure we are serving our suppliers and customers in a mindful way. Our uniform shoes come in plastic free packaging to reduce our impact on the planet. Every little step helps us climb a mountain.

Sampling and making templates 

Vidhya with co-designer Ashish talking to pattern maker.

Talented female sewing machine operator in factory.