LOS ANGELES — With the holidays approaching, all eyes are on the supply chain issues and shipping delays.
But some say shopping local might just be the solution for holiday gifts this year.
LaLa Land Factory in downtown Los Angeles is working to produce local goods for brands based in LA, like Ma'am Shoes. Sofi Newmyer is founder of the DTLA footwear brand. The shoes are a labor of love.
“I have to pinch myself," Newmyer said. "The whole thing's pretty shocking that it’s happening.”
The shoes go through an assembly line and take months to create. Newmyer was intentional about keeping production local, even though it would have been significantly less expensive to make her shoes overseas. She explained that it was important for her to create jobs with fair wages for women in LA, and here, she can rest assured that when they’re ready to ship to customers, her shoes won’t be stuck on a boat lined up at clogged ports.
"They’re not shoes that are made on the backs of people’s unfair labor practices," she said.
It’s the heart of her sustainable brand. Newmyer says she also limits international cargo shipping because it’s responsible for 18% of global air pollution. She works instead with domestic craftsmen, sewing each part of the upper boot by hand.
"There’s a lot of sewing involved to creating a single pair of shoes," she laughed.
Newmyer's mission is to craft comfortable shoes for women like her, leading busy lives who can wear these without any pain from their first cup of coffee in the morning, to an evening dinner and drinks. Anyone who has worn heels for that long, knows it’s no easy feat.
"We talk about if it feels a little tight in the pinky toe or could we use more foam in the sole? So it’s really, that’s why step one with Jano takes so long," Newmyer explained.
Jano is the man who helps her with the design. His passion and expertise is invaluable. The second generation shoemaker owned a shoe store in Lebanon when he was just a teen, before moving to Milan, Italy to attend a famous school for shoe design and pattern making.
"So you have to know one by one, every single step," he explained.
Newmyer's dream began as just a concept in her home office. She is committed to not just the Ma’am product, but also the meaning behind its name, recalling the first time she was called "ma’am" at the grocery store.
"'Have a good day, ma’am,'" Newmyer recalled. "And I just thought, 'Oh, it's just over. My best days are behind me, I’m not a miss anymore.'”
Deciding to reclaim what that meant, the new mom says when she can sleep, she can sleep well knowing her sustainable shoes represent the resiliency it truly takes to be a ma’am.
For more information about Ma'am Shoes, visit maamshoes.com/.