This morning when I was watching some Instagram stories I spotted the brand Bear & Mees on the account of UrbanMoms. They just launched their very first shoe collection and I’m in love.
Bear & Mees is a Dutch sustainable footwear-label, produced in Portugal and made for children from 3 – 9 years old. They make footwear made of recycled PET bottles, organic cotton and fair-trade materials.
At Bear & Mees they want to make an impact. They want to inspire children to explore the world around them and to learn from that. They don’t pretend to solve the effects that the textile industry has on our environment. They just dare them to be aware.
Bear & Mees are not tree-huggers, but they do like to hug animals. Animals play a big role in the lives of our kids. Animals intrigue them, they comfort them and they want to take care of them. Let’s keep it that way.
Every shoe is approached from a child’s point of view, designing shoes that are both colourful and playful and therefore appealing to children. They don’t make a difference in design between boys and girls, they are gender-free.
Kids will be kids and they have other priorities on their mind, such as playing! Therefore, shoes should be easy to put on. At Bear & Mees they prefer velcro over laces. But also, a protected nose on the sneaker prevents wear and tear. And no socks are needed in these shoes, because of the toweling lining. With the removable insole, the shoes can also be easily washed.
The first summer collection is based on the inspirational worlds of children. The appealing prints of the wild life is always intriguing. This is printed on 100% organic cotton. From harvesting the raw material through manufacturing, it is processed by both respecting the environment as the social responsibility.
The other prints they used are based on our colourful underwater world. This fascinating world is used as a starting point to address the plastic soup problem in the oceans. Therefore, the uppers of the sneakers are made of recycled PET-bottles.
Bear & Mees sell mainly online to keep the price low and our focus high.
Smaller footprint? Follow those of Bear & Mees
