Starting a business is a lot like having a family.

There are ups and downs, nothing ever really goes *perfectly* to plan, but if you commit to strong principles prioritize your relationships, and work hard……things have a funny way of working themselves out.

I met my co-founder Caroline at my first job after college. We both got our starts in the shoe industry at the same time and even though we went our separate ways for a while – we always stayed in touch.

When 2017 rolled around, Caroline and I decided to take our own shot at creating a shoe – OUR shoe.

By that point, we’d spent over 30 years in footwear/fashion and we were both feeling increasingly uncomfortable with how most big brands shoes are made (and what they’re made of).

We decided to design and manufacture a shoe that’s:

• 1) Planet-friendly, with a low carbon footprint
• 2) Sourced from solid, transparent businesses we could build long-term relationships with
• 3) Ethically-made, with fair worker wages and no child labor;Locally handcrafted right here in California;
• 4) (all of the above) without sacrificing comfort, style, or versatility!

Once we committed to the idea, we set off on a wild, wonderful ride:

2017: The first BENDY sketches.
2018: Our successful Kickstarter campaign!
2019: Features in Fast Company, Forbes, and more!
2020: (Stick around for some exciting news!)

We’ve come this far because of our incredible community.

People like you have connected with the shoe we’ve created and we are genuinely grateful!

Thanks again for being part of our journey!

Stay well!

Mary Sue

shop bendy