Founder

I have travelled the world for 22 years in search of makers, materials, knowledge and techniques to create products or depth and integrity.

In 1996, my journey began.

Fascinated by the idea of globalization, I designed a footwear company to match—for global mass consumption, built via mass production. 

By 2002 I had witnessed firsthand the flaws of mass consumption and mass production. 

An incessant need for growth via cost-cutting leads to increased technological automation and a reliance on synthetics, materials that can never be destroyed and end up in landfills or oceans.

FEIT; (fight)

FEIT was born as a response—an evolution of consumerism and production moving away from volume and excess and towards quality and sustainability.

FEIT footwear is built for longevity, from natural materials, via human construction, and supported by our care and repair services.

All FEIT footwear is hand sewn and hand lasted by a master shoe maker. Few makers are skilled enough to produce footwear in this manner, hence only limited numbers can be produced.

FOOTPRINT

For millions of years humans were able to live in relative harmony with our planet, leaving little trace. However, the economic and technological growth spurred by industrialization has resulted in environmental degradation and irreversible damage.

Today, the equivalent of a garbage truck load of footwear and apparel—many made with or entirely from synthetic materials—is burnt or buried in a landfill every second. Plastic and its associated chemicals are contaminating our natural environment, as the majority of plastic is neither recyclable nor biodegradable.

FEIT was founded in 2005 with a vision to create footwear in limited quantities that would provide maximum benefit to the wearer, with minimum impact to the planet.

Our products are made in small batches handcrafted by humans from only natural materials. There are no plastics, oil or toxic chemicals used in our process.

We design for quality and longevity. Our products become better with age and can be repaired rather than replaced—providing an alternative to mass-produced obsolescence.

Our system is not perfect. But we are dedicated to doing better—constantly researching and looking at innovative ways to improve.

Materials

The midsole of every FEIT shoe is filled with cork and every pair of shoes comes with a removable cork insole.

Cork has been harvested from cork oak forests throughout the world for centuries. The harvesting process is laborious and requires great skill and patience. Unlike most trees, cork is obtained from the unique thick bark of the cork oak, not the lumber. Each cork tree must be 20 years old before it can be harvested and cannot be harvested again for nearly a decade. When harvested correctly, a cork oak can live between 160 and 200 years. Harvested by hand in the traditional method, the habitat is left intact with minimal impact on the environment. 

Cork is lightweight, moisture resistant, comfortable under the feet, antifungal, and highly durable—connecting the wearer to the ground.

After a lengthy design process, we developed our own 100% natural latex rubber sole made out of the milk of the Hevea Brasiliensis (rubber tree). Hevea tree plantations are ecological forests. After twenty years of harvest, the Hevea trees are recycled and replaced by young plants.

Less Impact for the planet and wearer alike

Sustainable: Vegetable tanning is a sustainable process that relies on renewable resources, such as tree bark, which are often by-products of other industries.

Biodegradable: Vegetable-tanned leather is biodegradable, meaning it can break down naturally without harming the environment.

Less toxic: Vegetable tanning uses natural substances instead of harmful chemicals like chromium, which can pollute waterways and harm wildlife.

Reduced carbon footprint: Vegetable tanning requires less energy and emits less carbon dioxide than traditional tanning methods.

All FEIT shoes are fitted with a bamboo shank stabilizer in the midsole. It is one of the strongest natural materials in the world. Bamboo is used for it’s inherent strength-to-weight ratio—it is as strong as steel and has almost twice the compression rate of concrete. 

Bamboo is a grass, not a tree. It produces a yield 25 times higher than that of timber. With selective annual harvesting it can regenerate completely without the need to replant, making it one of the most renewable sources on the planet.

Because bamboo requires few nutrients, it can grow in soil inhospitable to other plants—not only does it thrive there, it can reclaim the land so other plants can thrive too. It’s roots leach heavy metals from the soil, hold the soil together and draw water closer to the surface. 

Bamboo contains an anti-microbial element called kun which stops bacteria from growing. It is not only antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-odor. This component helps the foot to remain neutral regardless of the temperature, allowing the shoes to be worn barefoot. 

The majority of global shoe production uses metal or plastic for the stabilizer.

CONSTRUCTION

Human beings, not machines create FEIT products.

For thousands of years, humans produced goods primarily by hand building a global industry that employed workers in communities throughout the world. As technology advanced, human labor became the most expensive part of the production process. 

Today's corporations strive to deliver quarterly growth and their focus has shifted towards automation as a means of cutting costs. The human touch is seen as obsolete.

Though computer-automated production may provide efficiencies for companies, this is not necessarily so for the workers, consumers, and the earth.

The use of computer-automated production has necessitated the increasing use of synthetic materials as they are more uniform and predictable in the production process. 

All FEIT shoes are entirely hand sewn and hand lasted by master craftsmen.

FEIT believes that producing by hand from natural materials creates a superior product and wearing experience. Human decision-making allows the maker to use our materials judiciously and to adapt and improve the product as needed during construction. Fewer machines also reduces the environmental impact of our supply chain and production process.