Tree planting to a more sustainable future

It's Earth Day and we're offering positivity and hope by supporting reforestation projects in our home state of California. In recent years our state has been devastated by wildfires.

But big change starts small.

Trees clean our air and water, create habitats for biodiversity, contribute to our health and well being and create jobs for social impact.

We are flipping the switch on doom and gloom.

Today we're announcing a partnership with One Tree Planted.  For every pair sold, we're planting a tree, starting now.

Our current focus?  Reforestation in Paradise, California.

Together, we're helping our planet, one tree at a time.

Supporting BENDY just got a lot better.

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If ever there were a time for a spring refresh of our homes, it’s now.  We have been cooped up for too long and why not hit refresh in our living spaces?

Today we offer up a tip to freshen up our living space and make every day living more enjoyable. 

Our decorating tip today?  Plants!

Going green is always a good idea in the home.

There is a lot to be said for having houseplants. They provide all kinds of health and wellness benefits – doctors are even prescribing them for anxiety, depression and loneliness. They are also a beautiful, zero-waste decorating option. Why buy more stuff for decor when living green things have so much visual impact, are enduring in style, and won't end up in the landfill!

1.Go Small

Small plants look beautiful in interiors. Due to their versatility and low maintenance they are perfect for basically any space in the house. The most common small plants are: cactus, air plants, aloe, English ivy and Philodendron. Choose variation to leave colors, sizes and textures.

 2. Old school inspo

3. Mobilize a tree

Put a tree on wheels! This is a great way to move your tree around to get more light or get it out of an area that may be too cold ... or to keep you company in different rooms. Who needs plants in every room when you can have one plant in all of them? It also makes it easy to wheel your baby outdoors for some outside time when the weather is suitable.

4. Use plants in a surprising way

A pantry plant? Why not? Scattering small plants around in surprising places is a delightful way to perk up any space.

Indoor houseplants add so much texture and life to a space, they are a great way to decorate a home, especially  minimalist styles. It’s also super rewarding to watch them grow. There’s nothing like seeing a new baby leaf on a plant you’ve been caring for!

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When we created BENDY, we wanted to find the softest, and highest quality leather possible and that didn't mean going halfway. That led us all the way to Italy!

Why did we choose Italian leather and what makes it different?

Well, the Italians have been obsessed with leather for centuries. It's a huge part of their culture and has become an integral part of fashion not only here but all around the world. So much so, that Italy is actually the top innovator when it comes to tanning leather. They've revolutionized techniques and methods to help make these materials more luxurious and durable and as import, more sustainable.

The leather used in BENDY is softer and more pliable than most leather shoes. It's also free from flaws or imperfections that you see in cheaper leathers.

Women often describe BENDY as "high quality" which is one reason they love them so much. Unless you buy your shoes in the $300+ range, chances are good that you haven't felt a shoe this nice before.

And speaking of leather..did you ever wonder why we chose leather for our shoe?

Leather is an ideal material for shoes because it breathes (doesn't make your feet sweat) and forms to your foot, making them more comfortable than synthetic and man-made materials.

It is also no coincidence that our Italian tannery took the lead in creating a business model that put the environment first. Tanning is one of the most delicate steps in our shoes’ environmental footprint, so it should come as no surprise to you that we have partnered with this like-minded team. They are reducing tanning’s  impact on our planet through the best technology.

Our Italian tannery holds:

• • The Gold Certification of The Leather Working Group (L.W.G.). for its ethical, environmental and safety practice in the processing of hides.

• • Blauer Engel-Certification, for minimizing their impact on the health, and the environment during the production phase as well as in the recycling and disposal phases.

You may or may not  know that tanning leather isn't a very pleasant process, and if you google it, you'll find some pretty disturbing images.

All over Asia, there are tanneries using antiquated tanning processes - this is not only bad for the environment but also for the workers in these dangerous facilities.

Curious what a state of the art Italian tannery looks like?. Check out these images:

We're really excited about what we've created and we think it’s important to share with you why our shoe’s different. You see, style and comfort if only part of our journey. Each pair is a step toward a brighter future.

Thanks for giving this a read, Shop our stylish comfortable shoe

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.

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It takes a lot of guts to spearhead the conversation, but that's exactly what Ariel Green does through her podcast and community, Sustainable Brown Girl.

Sustainable Brown Girl is a place where women and color can showcase the positive changes they're making for the planet. 

Through this outlet, Ariel has been able to highlight environmental activists, climate justice lawyers, and small business owners galore—but we can't forget just how much Ariel herself is doing for the greater good. 

"I created the Sustainable Brown Girl community to highlight, connect, and inspire black, brown, and indigenous women within the sustainability movement."

No change is too small for Ariel, who features brown girl influencers making sustainable choices on a personal level. Think going vegan, shopping second hand, or reducing waste.

Based in Atlanta with her husband and houseplants, Ariel is an avid gardener, home cook, and content creator. 

She also manages a personal brand, Naturally Mermaid, where she gets the chance to review sustainable purchases and talk about her own experiences with environmentalism.

"I'm passionate about finding new ways to live sustainably in order to improve the health of the planet and our bodies."

The "stubborn whiteness of environmentalism," as Inside Higher Ed puts it, is nothing new. Back in 2018 when Ariel first began her low waste journey, she immediately noticed the white women at the forefront of the community—but she knew she wasn't the only person of color interested in saving the planet. 

"The goal of Sustainable Brown Girl is to share these incredible womens' stories to support them and inspire other women of color to make better choices for the health of our planet and the health of our bodies."

Black history month may only make up February, but movers and shakers like Ariel are changing the tides with every season. Building communities by and for people of color—and women of color specifically—help make space for the voices that have historically been left out of the conversation.

Now, Ariel is one of the amazing women of color who is fueling the conversation about climate change and the health of our planet. This talk only continues to spread.

For BENDY, it is an absolute honor to witness the Black joy, the joy of people of color, that's working to save a planet we all inhabit.

From the perspective of our own small, women-run business, there is something so deeply altruistic about this that it's hard to put into words. 

Ariel's Sustainable Brown Girl podcast and community—as well as her Naturally Mermaid brand—continue to propel change for the planet. All the while, she's providing a platform for women of color who have so much to give to environmentalism. 

Ariel on her BENDYs:

"With most slip-on flats, the shoes usually rub against my achilles tendon making them too uncomfortable. But I don’t have that problem with the BENDY shoes. The shoes are so versatile and have quickly become one of my favorite pairs to wear. And it doesn’t hurt that I’ve gotten several compliments while wearing them!"

Hello,

We hope you are doing well. 

The shoes we chose to wear all day should provide a comfortable base for our busy lives, but let’s face it, comfort does not always mean cute and stylish.  

We all have those bulky shoes in our closets that are comfortable but we prefer not to be seen in them! That’s  why we created BENDY. We were shooting for the comfort of a sneaker AND the style of a flat. 

But we also knew there were a gazillion shoe brands. In fact, we believed the world needed another shoe like it needed another coal burning power plant.

We had a hunch if we could create one that put planet and people first AND be stylish and comfortable, we could stand out from the crowd.

And guess what?

We succeeded.

Now we can tell you that positive reviews NEVER get old.  We still jump for joy when women tell us they love our planet-friendly, comfy shoe.

Today we thought we would share a few with you.

Because of customers like you, we are able to do our part and offer women an alternative way to shop for comfortable shoes. 

Take care and thanks for your continued support of our small, sustainably-minded, 100% women-owned business!

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Stay safe and well,

Caroline and Mary Sue

And by that we don't mean to break up with your loved one, don't worry.

What we ask you to consider, is a break up with fast fashion.

First, let's see what fast fashion actually is? 

• Fast fashion is clothing that’s made quickly and cheaply so it will sync up with trends and what consumers want right now.

• And when the trend of the moment has passed, new clothing appears on the racks, and people buy more...

Lucy is right. It sounds fun, and it often looks fun and is something so many people love to buy. But there's a dark side of fast fashion.

• Fast fashion is not only made to be disposable, worn for a season or less and discarded, but is incredibly energy consuming, polluting and wasteful.

• And sadly 1 million tons of apparel and shoes ends up in landfill each year.

That's a lot!

Labor rights violations run rampant in countries where fast fashion is made and they have for many years.

And over the decades, fast fashion went from a minority player in the industry to becoming the new normal.

Take a look at these stats from China, where the majority of our shoes and clothes are made.

We know, this is overwhelming information, but we are here to tell you that we can do something about this!

In fact, we started our company to offer women an alternative way to shop. We created BENDY to help women break up with fast fashion.

• BENDY is handcrafted in our home state of California, by artisan shoemakers.

• We can ensure that fair wages, safe working conditions, and no forced or child labor is used in making BENDY.

•  We stitch our upper to the soles instead of using glue. This reduces workers exposure to toxic glues.

• BENDY is made in small batches with shorter lead-times. This means we can more easily predict demand & avoid the dangers of over production associated with fast fashion.

They are simple, comfortable, stylish and more planet friendly. This last element has never been more important.

What else can you do to break up with fast fashion?

Shop BENDY here

Photo credit: Julie Anderson, One Wild Life Photograph

If ever there were a time to remember that change is possible within ourselves, it's near the start of a new year. 

As a female-led small business ourselves, stories of inspiring women entrepreneurs have helped get us through tough times. Today, we're proud to feature Jenelle Botts—veteran, renowned photographer, mom, wife, and BENDY shoes fan. 

Jenelle is an award-winning and internationally published commercial and lifestyle photographer who tells thoughtful and authentic stories through her craft.

During her 13 years in uniform as an intelligence analyst (and two deployments one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq), she was able to serve as a warrant officer and work directly with soldiers.

Currently, her family—two kids named Henry and Madeline, plus her husband Seth, who she met on active duty—reside in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"They are the reason I have joy in my heart and a wine delivery subscription," Jenelle says about her beautiful kids.

But it wasn't a straight shot for Jenelle. With a successful photography career just over the horizon, she had some moves to make. After a storied career, she decided to submit her resignation and become a stay-at-home mom. 

"After my daughter started to get older, I found that I had more time to think about myself again and what I wanted to do now that my army career was over. Photography had been something that I did for myself for a long time. One day a friend asked if I could take some family photos for them and the rest is history!"

Jenelle opened her business in 2018 while stationed in Germany, serving ex-pat and military clients.

Jenelle adds, "When I closed up in Germany to prepare for our move back to the states I knew I wanted to pivot to commercial photography so I didn't have to work on weekends! The pandemic kind of handed me product photography as an option when photographing people became hard."

Jenelle on her BENDY shoes:

I love my BENDYs! They are cute and stylish. It's the comfort of a sneaker with the style of a dress shoe.  They run true to size for me. I'm a solid size 8, and the 8 is a perfect fit. They also breathe well. I wore them all day on a hot North Carolina summer day with minimal sweating! My feet didn't feel hot or stuffy.

I get lots of compliments when I wear them. They look great with shorts and skinny jeans and even a maxi dress. 

Photo credit: Julie Anderson, One Wild Life Photography

From us at BENDY, we're happy to have awesome women like Jenelle as part of our family. Check out Jenelle's creative product and branding photography here. If you're a military spouse entrepreneur or business owner, consider joining MSCC.

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Hello,

This was a very rough year for many of us and like you, our company faced some big challenges and setbacks.  As a company, we had to think, adjust, learn and listen in order to navigate our way through. We bravely forged ahead and have come to believe that our planet friendly shoe and sustainable business model is more relevant and important than ever. So with the New Year, we have a new vibe. See what is ahead for us.

Today we’d like to share with you our plans and what we are preparing for you this year. 

And also we want to thank you for your continued support, without you we wouldn’t be here!

Product

We improved our pattern by adjusting our topline ever so slightly so it will fit a higher instep and not feel as snug. This means BENDY will fit more foot types.

We are now reinforcing the forefoot. Through customer feedback, we learned that our shoe could be improved by strengthening this area.  

This increases the durability of our shoe so your BENDYs will wear better and last longer.  

We see this as a win for you and for the environment.

And you know what? Bendy will have a side kick in 2021.

Look for a new pattern to be launching. Same comfort and as true to our value (planet friendly shoes). We think you are going to  love them!

Our makers

Our California factory shifted from making shoes to protective gowns, isolation suits, and face masks in March to help combat the nationwide shortage of Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) for people on the front lines. 

We had to pause shoe-making  but then we started up again in the Fall.

This caused some unexpected size and color shortages in core colors, but we are working really hard  to restock them by March.

A new website and look is coming in 2021

In the last quarter, we’ve spent a lot of time working on a new look and a new website for our brand. 

Our new site will better showcase our brand’s personality and our commitment to sustainable shoe making.  

Many of you know we are self-funded and launched our business in 2019 with a crowdfunding campaign.

We have learned, made adjustments and are building on our successes. We are brimming with excitement over this new look that is coming soon, stay tuned!

Commitment to Circular Shoe making

We have always valued safe working conditions and fair wages and made planet friendly material and construction choices but we realize that we also have a responsibility to consider our shoe’s end of life plan.

Therefore, we have created a Circular Shoe Guide as our North Star. 

Progress not perfection is our goal. We make the best choices we can with the knowledge and resources available to us. Our vision includes a 100% circular shoe making process by 2023. 

Wides

We feel bad when we hear from customers that they love our shoe but they can’t wear it due to having a wide foot. We take your feedback to heart and are excited to be researching the introduction of wide widths for you lovely ladies in 2021. 

Launch of our Give back program

You know that BENDY is all about being kinder to the planet… so we are planning to give back to the planet on every pair of shoes sold! That means that when you buy our shoes you are also giving back to the planet, pretty sweet!  All in line with our planet friendly shoe values.

Stay tuned for our launch of this program on Earth Day 2021.

What are your plans for this year? Feel free to share them with us, we would love to hear from you.

Stay safe!

Caroline and Mary Sue

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Did you know that being cozy can be good for your health?

Cozying up at home during the COVID-19 pandemic can be great for not only your physical health, but also your mental well-being. Thanks to the Danish concept of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), researchers have learned that embracing coziness and life’s little pleasures can improve overall happiness.

Need proof? Danes are considered some of the happiest people in the world, according to the 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Happiness Reports.

Health benefits of “hygge”:

Hygge has a wide range of benefits. It can:

-Increase happiness

-Decrease the adrenal stress response, resulting in fewer cortisol spikes

-Help you be present in the moment

-Improve your self-care and self-love

How to practice “hygge”: 

Embrace self-care. Light some candles and curl up in a comfy chair with a warm blanket, a book, your journal, or a sweet treat if you want one.

Practice self-compassion. Let yourself be. Don’t be hard on yourself for not being productive in that moment or for having a sweet treat.

Create a cozy environment. Surround yourself with whatever is going to help you feel more relaxed and supported. This may mean removing unnecessary clutter and tidying up regularly, using lamps for a cozy feel, and selecting comfortable pillows and furniture.

Spend time in nature. Even in the winter, Danes take long walks and spend time outside. Spending time outdoors has proven stress-relieving benefits and can help you connect to something bigger than yourself. If you're able to, go for a walk around your neighborhood.

Connect with others. Social support is an important aspect of health and well-being. People who practice hygge surround themselves with family and friends. It’s about connecting with and enjoying each other’s company, not competing or impression management. Spending quality time with others also boosts feel-good oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone.” 

Live in the moment. Hygge isn’t something you achieve, but rather a lifestyle. You don’t have to put pressure on yourself to do life perfectly. View life as a journey, not an end state.

Buy comfortable clothes and shoes.When it comes to feeling relaxed and comfortable, the clothes you are wearing play a huge role in the way you feel. Speaking of foot care, make sure you check out our super comfortable and stylish BENDY. If you don't already have a pair this would be an excellent time to treat your feet.

Stay safe everyone.