Ultra-trendy, eco-friendly sustainable shoes from Bared Footwear.

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by Afterpay
May 12, 2023      8 min read

Footwear fanatics rejoice: the days of having to choose between stylish, comfy kicks and doing what's best for the planet are over. As more companies take a sustainable approach to producing footwear, there’s never been a better time to indulge in your next pair, guilt-free. 


One of our favourite brands leading the charge – and proving once and for all that nothing slaps harder than sustainable shoes – is Bared Footwear. Step aside, Louboutin, because orange is the new red when it comes to statement colours. Along with their iconic orange insoles, Bared shoes have covered all the eco bases with their sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing practices. It doesn’t hurt that they look and feel incredible, too. 

We’ve taken a deep dive into the brand’s history, sustainability work and, of course, shoes. Let’s get to know Bared Footwear a little better. 

How did Bared Footwear begin?

Millennials and up will remember what it was like to look through catalogues of orthopaedic sneakers only to come to the sad realisation that, apparently, comfy shoes meant ugly shoes. Frustrated, Podiatrist Anna Baird knew this didn’t have to be the case – so she started her own label to create a solution.

Anna launched Bared Footwear in Melbourne back in 2013. She rejigged the blueprint of what makes a sturdy pair of shoes and then dedicated her life to searching for ways to make them kinder to our feet and the planet. Fast forward 10 years and Bared shoes are cult classics with a community of dedicated fans (including us!). Not to mention the stores – you can find Bared Footwear in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Armidale. How good!

Anna says that while it’s still cool to see influencers and celebs wearing Bared’s latest kicks, it’s even cooler to find new organic and recycled materials that could transform the footwear industry. We love those priorities.

What makes Bared Footwear so sustainable?

When it comes to sustainability, Bared is not your average shoe brand. They're walking the talk and putting their values into action in a big way. Bared Footwear are:

  • B-Corp Certified
  • Landfill-free
  • Reducing their carbon footprint
  • Using greener materials

They’re B-Corp Certified.

As Australia's first B Corp Certified footwear label, Bared are all about using their business to make a positive impact on the environment and society. Qualifying for this certification is kind of a big deal: Bared had to meet the highest social and environmental standards and demonstrate that profit doesn’t trump their ecological responsibilities. And they passed with flying colours!

They’re landfill-free.

In 2019, Bared went landfill-free. To make it happen, they teamed up with Save Our Soles, a Melbourne-based company that makes super versatile rubber mats from old tyres and loved-to-death shoes. Since then, Bared has helped to recycle a mind-boggling 14k pairs of kicks!  

They’re reducing their carbon footprint.

Committed to keeping their carbon footprint teensy-tiny, Bared runs all of its operations across the globe on renewable energy (the Melbourne warehouse is even fitted out with solar panels). 

And if that wasn’t enough, in 2020, Bared partnered with Aussie not-for-profit Greenfleet and committed $50k towards planting thousands of native plant species along the eastern coasts of Australia and New Zealand. In doing so, they’re offsetting a whole heap of carbon – 3,300 tonnes, to be exact!

They’re using greener materials.

Sustainable down to the soles of their shoes, Bared takes any opportunity to swap out standard materials for cleaner, greener alternatives. That’s why they use natural, renewable and sustainably sourced materials like LWG-certified leathers, rubber, sugarcane and other plant-based materials in their shoes.

And it doesn’t stop there! Even the packaging at Bared is planet-friendly. Their kicks come in an adorable little hemp bag, are sealed up with landfill-biodegradable packing tape and are posted in compostable satchels. You won’t find any silica gel pouches here, either. Instead, Bared uses anti-mould packs made from high-grade clay and biodegradable paper. Seriously, the attention to sustainability detail is #goals.

How is Bared Footwear an ethical company?

We love a good pair of shoes, but we love a brand that values its planet and its people even more. Bared Footwear is all about empowering people – from the folks making the shoes to Indigenous communities back home in Australia. Talk about feel-good fashion! Bared is ticking all the ethical practices boxes by:

  • Looking after their craftspeople
  • Committing to the global UN movement to end hunger
  • Empowering First Nations children and families

They look after their craftspeople.

Bared has always supported its makers. That’s why the brand has a 10-year-strong relationship with their primary team of craftspeople in Dongguan, China. They also work with their extended global team to guarantee that the people working in their factories have the best equipment and the safest working conditions possible. Now that’s something we can all get behind.

They’re part of the global UN movement to end hunger.

When it comes to supporting communities globally, Bared puts their money where their heart is. They’ve had an ongoing partnership with The Hunger Project since 2019, and over the years, they’ve donated over $100k to various causes in Ghana and Malawi. 

They’re empowering First Nations children and families.

Back home in Oz, Bared has been teaming up annually with Indigenous contemporary artists to create limited-edition sneakers featuring the artists’ iconic artworks. They’ve contributed over $37k to Children’s Ground and causes supporting Alice Springs, Darwin and West Arnhem Land communities. Get in quick to cop a pair of these limited-edition kicks, though, because they’re known to sell out in under two weeks!

What makes Bared shoes such cult classics?

We can’t talk about Bared without spending some time on the real highlight here – the shoes! Mixing comfort with style can be the make or break of a fave pair, and Bared knows a thing or two about making sure their designs feel as good as they look.

Let’s take a peek at what makes Bared shoes so irresistible.

  • Hidden depth. All of Bared’s shoes have a hidden depth to accommodate biomechanical footbeds or personal orthotics. No more squashed feet!
  • Foam cushioning. The extra cushioning beneath the footbeds ensures comfort to the max. Talk about walking on clouds.
  • Firm heel counter. A firm heel counter fortifies the shoe structure to give the rear foot all the support it needs.
  • Heel pitch and shank. A slight incline prevents heel and calf pain, and encouraging flex in the forefoot increases the longevity of your shoes. Who knew?!
  • Quality uppers. Lush leathers, nubucks, suedes and all-leather linings keep your kicks looking good and feeling fab.
  • Effortless style. Look and feel fab with your choice of quality, comfy, trending-yet-timeless styles that can take you from casual to professional in a heartbeat.

Step into sustainability and style with Bared Footwear.

Bared's dream is to one day make entirely natural shoes that will eventually decompose and return to the earth as nutrients. While the science isn’t there just yet, they know where they’re headed and are dead set on making sure good fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth. And we’re so here for it.

Great-looking, super-comfy shoes from a brand that’s savvy about sustainability? Yes, please. Shop Bared Footwear with Afterpay.

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