Big Footed Friends
When we first released our bigger sizes, we were incredibly excited. Gone were the days of turning away people who needed just one size up from our measly size 12s. Now, we are thrilled to be welcoming our larger sizes, going up to a size 16 (that’s a 17.5 in women’s, in case you were wondering). It is a great feeling when some of our larger footed folks come in, put on a size 16 and walk on out, light on their feet.
When we work with the larger sizes, it makes the others seem like doll shoes in comparison. Suddenly you can’t imagine anyone with such tiny feet as a size 4. The difference looks, well, funny. Our seamstresses love the bigger patterns, claiming they are more fun to sew. Even cutting the larger sizes seems to be easier—the extended lines of the patterns are smooth and effortless. The shoes come off the rack looking like great gentle giants.
Size 16s...!
Gentle…. until you go to box them up. That’s when the actual size of the shoes makes itself known. Where most of our shoes sit neatly together to be mailed, these have a presence that intimidate a shoe box. Solving this 3-D jigsaw puzzle is the last thing step before we ship the shoes out to our large footed friends, glad to be able to finally include them.
We didn’t stop at just providing shoes to our larger sizes. We are making sure to serve them with all of our products from here on out, never to be excluded again! For that reason, we made sure to stock up on XLs in our made in Colorado socks specifically for those who measure size 13 and up.
Photo courtesy of Bill of the National Parks Marathon Project
We’re proud to say to our bigger footed friends that we’ve got your back (feet). Now on to the next challenge!
Speaking of New Challenges
We are always looking forward to what is coming next and our “next” is nearly here! While an all-black shoe is versatile, it can become a bit monotonous, especially on our end. After months of seeing nothing but black material and grey thread, our seamstresses are excited (and somewhat camera shy) to see some variety!
We tested out a number of different colors, polling our entire team as well as our factory neighbors to narrow down the options. But choosing the color of the uppers is just the beginning; there are a dozen tiny decisions all built into the final shoe that we release. Luckily, our factory has some pretty opinionated folks (who knew thread color could be such a divider!) and we are finalizing the details.
Feel like helping us along? Take our quick survey to have a voice in our color selection!
We are slowly but surely working to build up our inventory to meet the needs of our customers more quickly. We know that wait times can be a drag, especially when you are expecting something as exciting as a brand new shoe in a brand new color.
Brighter SOMs will make their way on to our shop sometime this month...so keep your eyes peeled! We'll be sure to feature them in next month's newsletter in case you miss their debut.
Celebrating Made in USA
SOM Footwear was born in the USA and when we remember what a feat this represents, we are quite proud. As many of you have heard before, choosing to make shoes in the U.S. has led us down and interesting and not always easy path. But at the end of the day, we couldn’t imagine it any other way. Those little flags on our shoes are just one way that we show our appreciation for being able to manufacture here in the United States. Being Made in America is not always simple, but it does make for a beautiful ride.
One of our SOM-os wishing us a Happy 4th!
From our SOM Team to your feet, we hope that you had a happy, safe, and barefooted holiday weekend celebrating all the good that comes with being Made in the USA.
Tim,
Don’t worry! We are committed to staying here in the US—and to overcoming all the challenges it brings! If you are ever in Western Colorado, be sure to stop by for a tour. We’d love to have you.
Keep it USA made – don’t sell out to mass manufacture out-of-country to make quick bucks discounts against local integrity and pride.
Ted,
Thanks for your feedback. We agree that it is important to pay attention to what our fellow shoemakers are doing. However, we also believe that we price our shoes fairly given both the high quality materials we use as well as the labor intensive process of making shoes. Plus, unlike most lower priced shoes, all of our shoemaking happens right here in the US!
We are also proud to offer a number of benefits and services to our customers. A favorite is the ability to resole our shoes when they begin to wear, extending the life of our product well beyond that of some less expensive shoes.
If you have more questions, we’d be happy to discuss further. Feel free to give us a call or send an email.
Thanks,
SOM Team
I have taken note that there are competitive companies pertaining to “light” shoes, colourful, etc. I would suggest you look at these companies s to their prices, which appear to be much less than yours. Just a suggestion.
Thank you.
LOVE the flag shoes!!! I still have my original pair and love them. I get a lot of comments about my little bicycles
on the shoes.
Red and black always look good.
Julie