[sidraqasim1]

Hi HN,

I’m the co-founder of Markhor. Our goal is to connect the customer directly with the craftsmen, who are making your products regardless of in which part of the world they're being made. Internet has enabled us to do so especially in the developing countries (this is where most of the luxury goods are made).

Today we are taking the first step towards our goal and launching our transparency project. We believe you have the right to know where and under what conditions your products are made and who is making them. We believe no one wants to wear a pair of shoes/clothing made by a child or a pregnant women under abusive conditions. Even though our craftsmen have been making European shoes for decades, it’s only now that we are able to connect them directly to the end customer.

So what transparency are we bringing to our own company? For every order or a pair of shoes, you’ll know about the craftsmen/women who made them. You’ll receive step-by-step details about the work in progress through email. This is our first step (in beta right now) in this direction and we're experimenting this with some of our customers and the Kickstarter backers.

You can see the email screenshot here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0427/6309/files/Markhor-Tr...

Happy to answer any questions about our products or the transparency mission in general.

-SQ

[L_Rahman]

Some advice:

- Don't call your leather full grain cow "crust". The word crust has negative connotations and should not be used for describing shoe leather.

- Describe your sole stitching pattern - are you Goodyear welting, Blake stitching, Blake-Rapid stitching? These techniques are typically associated with high-end handgrade or benchgrade shoes.

[punee]

Your second point is the first thing I looked for.

"No mention of Goodyear welting? These guys probably don't know anything about shoemaking."

The second pet peeve is calling them "designer shoes". Men don't buy "designer shoes". "Designer shoes" are for women.

"Designer shoes" for men (i.e. shoes manufactured by companies who traditionally sell fashionable apparel) have a distinctly bad reputation among shoe enthusiasts, who see them as more expensive versions of cheap shoes, with subpar craftsmanship.

[sidraqasim1]

Good idea, especially the second one. Appreciate your advice.

[sethbannon]

"You'll receive step-by-step details about the work in progess through email."

Does this mean that every time someone orders a pair of shoes they'll be custom made? You'll keep no stock?

I really like the idea of bringing more transparency into the manufacturing process, so kudos on that. Hopefully you'll soon offer a vegan option too :-)

[sidraqasim1]

Right now this is in beta and we are testing this with 10 customers every week, where we make a new pair for them. In future we want to have this information available for ready to wear shoes as well and for everyone. Some people want to have all the information in just single email so we're learning from our experience and will launch what can work best for everyone.

We'll definitely look into vegan option soon. Thank you!

[hayksaakian]

if you go the ready-made angle, it would still be cool to see the step-by-step story for the shoes, even if it's months old.

[prawn]

Could have a QR code or symbol or initials on the box or stamped on the sole/leather. Leads to a providence chain on the site explaining who was behind it and has some example photos/videos of them at work.

Beerenberg, who make jams/sauces here in South Australia, have something like this with their Providence Pathway. You enter a barcode from one of their products and can see who was working the line that day cooking and packaging the product, their photo, very specific testing details from that day, etc.

[Pamar]

I'd like a vegan option, too.

[hueving]

Is it bad for pregnant women to work?

[prawn]

@sidraqasim1, I think you could adjust your phrasing whenever talking about the "pregnant women" angle. Many women I know choose to work for the majority of their pregnancy.

I don't think you need any of that actually. Just make it all about connecting the buyer with the craftsman - putting a face and name to the product. That might well include a pregnant Chinese woman who is happy to keep making things until late in her pregnancy to prepare financially for their future.

I also don't think the middleman thing is worth mentioning either. You're the middleman now. The process might be more efficient and adjusted, but there's still a middleman!

My parents had a leather bag made for me in India many years ago, and brought back a photograph of the guy working on the stitching, etc. It's a nice idea.

[sidraqasim1]

I personally would love women (or anyone) to work if they want to.

Unfortunately, exploitative situations are common in the shoe industry in developing countries and some of the most vulnerable people end up working for too little, doing work that can be physically harmful to them, and not having the option to quit. That's the kind of situation I was talking about. We're in a position to give people new options, like working for a decent wage and being able to take time off if they need to.

[yummyfajitas]

I'm curious. Folks don't have the option to quit because they need the money, or because people will harm them if they do? In the former case, it seems that by excluding people from your marketplace - which according to you offers higher pay and better conditions than alternate modes of employment - you are harming them rather than helping.

Compare to a hypothetical situation of homejoy or similar service excluding black Americans from employment on the theory that black Americans are more likely to really need the money and therefore don't have the option to quit.

Of course, as a matter of PR, you'll certainly avoid problems caused by the copenhagen interpretation of ethics. http://blog.jaibot.com/the-copenhagen-interpretation-of-ethi...

[LSS74]

I was wondering the same. My wife is 7 months pregnant, working and happy that she is enabling people.

[sidraqasim1]

Making a handcrafted shoe is a physically intensive job so we are being careful towards this. Perhaps at some point, as the company grows we would be able to invest more in this area and see if it needs to be changed for some women.

[vosper]

I think you need to be pretty careful about this. If you're saying making shoes is too physically intensive for any pregnant women, that's a pretty blanket statement. Some women are active until quite late into their pregnancy, and the idea that they might not be capable of making a shoe could seem quite insulting.

Also, presumably part of the appeal of this product is that your workers will receive better conditions than in horrible sweatshops. If you're saying that pregnant women are often exploited, but you won't let them work for you (and I may have misunderstood this) then aren't you dooming them to the conditions they already suffer, and denying them the chance to work for a better employer - you, in this case?

[sidraqasim1]

Thanks, those are really good points and we'll take some time to think about how to communicate this better.

I mentioned pregnant women because the ones I've seen doing this work stand out vividly in my memory as examples of people who are currently working under abusive conditions and deserve much better. That's one of the reasons why we started Markhor to begin with and have been very careful. And of course they'll be welcome to make shoes for us if they want to, since the conditions of such work will be much better.

Appreciate your suggestion.

[ZoF]

Great responses; this comment chain clarifies your position quite well.

Good luck!

[Void_]

Answering to 1st paragraph:

In our parts of the world (eastern Europe), but I'm sure all the more in 3rd world countries, women don't get insulted if somebody suggests they shouldn't work during their pregnancy.

For most of them, unfortunately, working or not working is not decided on a whim, but because they need to feed their family.

So if you were to suggest them not to work during their pregnancy, they would be all but insulted, most likely they would laugh, knowing it's not a question of preference.

[ryanmickle]

Just bought a pair. Can't wait to see them in person!

[baldeagle]

Would it be possible to get them in different sizes? I have about a full size difference between my feet.

[cmbaus]

I like the idea. Are the shoes welted?

[sidraqasim1]

Our derbies use the welt and we practice blake-stitching method of shoemaking.