Brands who helps support local people while also being sustainable is something we love at New Labels Only. In the last post, we talked about Çaplait Shoes from Pakistan and it was well received and it received a lot of love. This time we bring you Laadi Designs and we are pretty sure you will love this too!

I have never heard of Laadi Design!

As it is tradition at New Labels Only, we love to talk about origins of the brand and Laadi Designs is not exception.

Laadi sandals have been produced in Oaxaca, Mexico for over 30 years in family run workshop. However they were are not accessible to the world and these gorgeous Laadi Sandals going unknown. But this was about to change.

While traveling to find a source of ethical handmade good for her fair trade boutique in Oaxaca, Mexico, Alisa, one of the co-founder of Laadi Designs, discovered this talent group of shoemaker. She then partnered with Amber, the other co-founder of Laadi Designs, and in 2017 Laadi Designs was born.

However Laadi Designs was not just created to sell Laadi sandals to the world. Both Amber and Alisa knew from the start that they wanted to create a business which will help and raise awareness of girl’s education. With both Amber and Alisa having two young daughters, this was very important to them and also close to their hearts.

So Laadi Designs is donating $1 for every sandals sold to She’s the First. 

How are they made?

All of Laadi Designs sandals are handcrafted, which includes the leather tanning, soling, and adding gorgeous hand-woven fabrics, from a family owned workshop where they have been creating Laadi sandals for over 30 years. The workshop is run by women. The sandals are made using recycled tire soles and artisans only use natural dyes. So they keep your feet gorgeous as well as the environment!

The sandals are made with textiles woven using a pedal loom. The fabric is then cut to make straps and then uniquely tied, braided or wrapped to the sandals very comfortable. The sandals are produced in small batches due to the availability of the fabrics and styles and colours of the sandals varies, in a way, each sandal is unique!

By working with the local artisans and also workshops in Oaxaca, Mexico, Laadi Designs is helping to support local families generate a reliable source of income.

The picture below shows Clara, along with her daughters and other family members working on producing Laadi sandals.

The Collection

There are currently two types of styles in the Laadi Collection. One of the style is called ‘Laadi Collection’ and the other is ‘The Tapestry Collection’

 The Laadi Collection

The Tapestry Collection

These sandals are made with hand-woven textiles on a more laborious tapestry loom. The yarn is also hand-dyed wool. Additional straps are added to some styles and all wool straps come with leather lining on the inside of the shoe adding extra comfort and quality.

Whether you go for the Laadi Collection or Laadi Tapestry, both collection are made for comfort and can be worn throughout the day and for any activities. Plus, these handmade sandals last for a very long time.

Launched on November 1, 2009 as a simple YouTube video. Tammy Tibbetts’ original idea was to use social media to inspire and motivate Millennials to support girls’ education. However today She’s the first has grown into a non-profit organisation in New York where sponsors girls’ education in low-income countries. As of summer 2017, She’s the First will have sponsored more than 850 girls across eleven countries while supporting the efforts of 225 independent campus chapters.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Laadi Designs are taking pre orders and you can get yours at: https://www.laadidesigns.com/ They are also having a sale on their website, so do hurry and check it out before it is all sold out!

I hope you enjoyed our blog post today and we would love to know which is your favourite, the Laadi Collection or The Tapestry Collection. Do let us know in the comment below!

If you’ve missed our latest review of No Monday Watch do have a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuEbCkVgRRA

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