December 2, 2009 - The Peoples Shoe: By the People, for the People

It all started a few years ago when Anton Brandt, creator of The People's Shoe was living in Shanghai, China.  Outside his brick lane home Brandt would often mingle with local workers who would spend their day paving or digging in the nearby area.  As friendships formed stories, and styles, were often swapped and the workers shoes became a staple for Brandt.

Though unintentional, interest in the shoes grew as they went with Anton around the world.  Friends asked where they came from, and where they could buy them, "I would tell the story of how they were Chinese workers shoes, and eventually I had hundreds of people asking me to ship them," says Brandt.  "From that, The People's Shoe was born."

Though Anton is a native of Laguna Beach, CA. he wanted to open his factory in the same place that brought him the inspiration.  The People's Shoe is hand-crafted in Eastern China where it is made with care by the people, for the people.  "I've spent a lot of time in our factory, making sure the work environment is safe, that the workers are being treated fairly," say Brandt when asked how he can ensure that factory workers are being treated appropriately. "It helps that I speak some Chinese, so I have a very personal and direct relationship with our factory." 

The People's Shoe continues to uphold its social responsibility at home in the United States.  They have teamed up with the LA mission, addressing homelessness on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. "We are doing events with them, donating shoes for the people going through their rehabilitation programs, and donating a percentage of our profits to their cause as well."

Committed as well  to the environment, The People's Shoe has done away with the shoebox, swapping it for a more eco-acceptable reusable tote.  They have also hired a group of interns who have been working for months on material-science research for their next line. "Our next line is set to incorporate elements like organic canvas, non-toxic glues, natural dyes, organic laces, & nickel-free eye-lits.  We're sourcing our new totes from a green company in Bali called Bombastic Plastix... basically they have teams that collect plastic bags on the island of Bali and then put the bags through a natural process of up-cycling turning them into customized totes for us." [continued...]

Creator, Anton Brandt, who credits his mom as his biggest supporter worked hard from the beginning to get his product out there to the people. "TPS would be nothing without the help of so many great friends and family.  I used to run TPS out of my mom's garage in Laguna Beach.  The first week we launched, we were both up at 4am packing 300 pairs of shoes into her Prius, and then we road tripped together to Vancouver (where I gave pairs to musicians backstage at a music festival.)"  The People's Shoe has become widely popular not only with individuals but also among celebrities and especially musicians. "Michael J. Fox just got a couple pairs, he's a big fan.  Ellen DeGeneres ordered a pair of our white hi-tops, which she recently wore on her show (she got up on her couch and was dancing with them!) and tons of bands rock our shoes: Coldplay, Vampire Weekend, Death Cab, Metric, Airborne Toxic Event.  My eight year old nephew has a pair, he's probably my best PR.  OH and this cool older gentleman named Max in Laguna Beach wears a sparkling clean white & blue pair everyday for lawn-bowling!"

"Since day one, sustainability and social responsibility have been core values both personally and for The People's Shoe. My vision is to continue in that direction towards a product that has a profoundly positive impact on the environment, and towards a brand that is setting the benchmark for social responsibility."

The People's Shoe has created a conscious awareness in its consumers through a product made by the people, for the people.

For more information about The Peoples Shoe please visit the website here.

Jennifer Maclellan is the Senior Writer for the Green Guide Network.  You can contact her at jennifer@greenguidenetwork.com.