Women's footwear with a low carbon footprint, handcrafted in California
#rethinkfastfashion
Latest Updates from Our Project:
BENDY Update
almost 5 years ago
– Tue, May 21, 2019 at 06:39:41 PM
Hello BENDY supporters,
I wanted to update you on our progress on the BENDY. A lot has happened since my last update. Your early support was critical to getting our brand up and going. I am very happy to say that things are going well and we are well on our way to building our modern, comfortable more ethically made shoe brand.
Here are some of the highlights:
PRESS: We are starting to get recognized :)
We got featured in Fast Company! They said some pretty amazing things about the BENDY:
BENDY has several features that make it extremely comfortable. It has a flexible sole and a highly cushioned footbed, along with a soft leather upper. When I tested it, it felt a little tight at first, but within half an hour, the shoe seemed to mold to my foot. I didn’t want to take it off. It does, however, look unusual compared to the average flat shoe or sneaker. Much like Allbirds and Rothy’s, which are also easily recognizable, Bendy stands out, signaling the wearer’s commitment to sustainability as well as their fashion sensibility.
Caroline, my co-founder, was interviewed by Hidenet, an industry journal. This is a fascinating read and you will learn a lot about why leather is a great choice in footwear.
It’s uncommon to find a startup launching an “eco-friendly” leather shoe, with the current focus in recycling plastics and developing new materials. The problem with most sneakers is that they are made from a long list of materials and the components held together with stitching and glue.
We just shot some product videos for the first time. Those of you on Facebook and Instagram may see these in your feeds. We think product video tells a more compelling product story and wanted to give it a whirl. Tackling this was one of my goals this quarter. It was a bit daunting but we pulled it off with the help of some loyal friends and colleagues (THANK YOU SANDY and ERIKA). In these videos, you will see that two new colors were added this month. Denim, a great new neutral, and Passion Pink for some pop. Click here to check out the new colors
We have met some major benchmarks that we set for ourselves so far and we could not have done it without you all.
Take care and I hope that you know we are always open to ideas and feedback on how to get the word out and for any feedback on your shoes too. You all rolled the dice with us on our big idea and for that we will ALWAYS be thankful.
Stay well!
Mary Sue
BENDY Update
about 5 years ago
– Mon, Feb 11, 2019 at 02:30:41 PM
Dear BENDY backers,
By now you should all have your shoes. If you don’t have yours or if you have not heard from us about them, please let us know. We shipped all our orders in the past few weeks and we are enjoying seeing your pictures on social media. Please continue to tag us when posting in your BENDYs.
We have received some great feedback and would love to hear more. We love what we created but we want to know anything we can improve on as well.
Some of you have asked if you can still buy BENDYs now that the campaign is over. The answer is YES! We have all the colors from our KICKSTARTER campaign in most sizes and three new colors on our site now. Take a look here and please let us know your thoughts on the new versions :)
As we build our ethical shoe brand, there is something that you can do to help. Please consider writing a product review on the BENDY on our site. Reviews are REALLY important in e-commerce in fact customers crave knowing what others think about the product they’re about to purchase. Data shows that reviews are the #1 factor that drives sales for a new product. If all our KICKSTARTER backers wrote reviews, it would be REALLY helpful in growing our business. Click here and then select the color you bought and you can scroll to the bottom of the page to complete your review. Thank you, thank you!
We are fortunate to have some amazing neighbors and friends who supported the BENDY. Mary Sue's neighbors not only bought BENDYs but then hosted a BENDY celebration dinner. Pear martinis and BENDYs pair well together! Thanks again to Libby, Amie, Rozanne, Kim, Christy and Paula for your support.
A toast to the BENDY
Stay well!
Mary Sue, Yvette and Caroline
Bendy Update
over 5 years ago
– Sat, Jan 12, 2019 at 12:22:06 AM
Hello BENDY backers,
Happy New Year to all of you!
You have all played a significant roll in bringing the BENDY to market. We are thrilled to announce we are starting to ship next week. 2019 will be the Year of the BENDY for us. All of our components, including our awesome footbed arrived in our factory in good shape. We will ship most of our early bird backers by the end of next week and the balance of our backers by the following week.
Although it sort of feels like an end to a long journey, it is really just the beginning for us. This project began two years ago and we are very proud of what we have accomplished. We have all been completely amused (and humbled) by the support our friends and colleagues gave us. We leaned on so many to get to this point. Treating people well over the years paid off :) Thank you to our Moms for teaching us right!
That said, we think we have delivered on our promise to bring to market a modern, comfortable shoe with a lower carbon footprint. Our footbed is the kind you would find in a high performance running shoe. You will feel it when you slip it on. With the work place getting more casual, women are ditching heels in favor of more comfortable shoes. It is very hard to find shoes that are comfortable that are not sneakers. The BENDY hits this sweet spot. But ultimately you are the judges. We hope you love your BENDYs and that you agree with us that they are comfortable, fit true to size, and you feel like you have cool, edgy style when you slip them on.
We REALLY want your feedback. If sizing is off, please let us know as you can exchange for the right size. If you have any ideas and suggestions on how to improve we want to hear from you too.
Take care and thanks again for your support.
xo, xo,
Mary Sue, Yvette and Caroline
The BENDY, kinder on our planet
BENDY Update
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 11:55:34 PM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
BENDY update
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 10:59:20 PM
Hello BENDY Backers,
Caroline and I visited the factory in LA this week. The shoes look and feel great. We are SO proud of our BENDY. They fit well and feel amazing on the foot. The leather is really soft and the colors are vibrant. They have turned out really, really well.
Our footbed is still in production but we expect it to arrive in early January. Based on this we plan to be on time and BENDYs will ship in January as promised.
