When is a Shoe Bag More Than Just a Bag?

When we first began to dream about creating something with a bigger mission behind it, I was only thinking about one way to accomplish our mission. 

I thought it would only be done through the product we were creating. We carefully planned out our styles, our processes and even our logistics.

However, there was one thing we didn’t think about: the possible potential for the packaging of our products. When we began to think about what we could do, we got excited about what it could provide for our mission as a company. 

Each Brave Soles item that leaves us and goes out into the world arrives at its destination wrapped in its own unique bag.

Granted, there’s nothing that special about a simple bag.

Except when you consider that you and I are not separate from the items we fill our world with.

We are connected to it all through the stories that are interwoven in our lives.

Our shoe bags have a story only they can tell. Procured in the Dominican Republic from a warehouse that is the last stop for fabric before they are sent to the landfill, our bags are a fabric that is reborn. 

santiago fabric store - second floor. 

In our journey to grow and learn how to continue to bring our love of fashion, people and planet together, our little shoe bags have come to represent something to us that is personal, unique and inspiring.

Those little shoe bags represent the beginning of a new life for everything that’s connected to them. They keep the fabric out of landfills and they give your items a longer life by protecting them, However, perhaps the most exciting for us is that they help to provide tangible income for ladies in the communities we work in.

One of those women is Carmen.

Carmen is a jewelry artisan and seamstress. She has come a long way in her journey from being vulnerable as a young single mother to being a homeowner. Much of that is due to the kindness of Canadian volunteers who helped her build her own home.

But that was just the beginning.

Along the way, Carmen also realized that she had some great skills and ideas. Most of all, she has shown herself and the world that she has the drive and integrity to make her ideas happen.

Carmen is one of our suppliers in our ever-growing supply chain for Brave Soles. We helped her buy her first sewing machine and she has helped us solve a problem for our packaging.

We all share part of the story of beauty in the world. Thanks for joining ours.