Juta Shoes: supporting women facing barriers to work

Juta Shoes: supporting women facing barriers to work

Joanna Hamer Sunday, 1 April 2018

We couldn't be more thrilled that the brilliant Joanna Hamer, co-founder and co-director of Juta Shoes joined us for our London Networking Event.

Juta Shoes is a social enterprise based in East London that supports, trains and employs women who face barriers to work, to make their bespoke reclaimed leather espadrilles and teach their sustainable crafts workshops. You may remember Juta Shoes as we mentioned them in our Masterclass Branding a Sustainable Business, as an exemplary ethical business with a social mission. Juta shoes are also a brilliant example of how manufacturing on a smaller scale can have a huge impact. Joanna was a 2016 Year Here fellow, and I'm delighted to share some of her invaluable insight and gems of advice.


In this video you'll learn:

  • About Juta shoes, who their employees are and how their workshops run.
  • How they decide how to work with their remnant materials.
  • How to work with leather.
  • Why they chose espadrilles as their product.
  • How social enterprises work.
  • Their business model.
  • How they find their makers.
  • How they pay their makers.
  • About the finances of the business.
  • About the grants they've won.
  • About the challenges they've had.
  • How they plan to control quality and ensure makers get equal work.

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