Smarterly supports social impact venture

The social impact of how and where consumer goods are made is increasingly changing the way we spend our money. More and more people are looking at their shopping habits and taking into consideration whether products have been ethically sourced before they purchase. Products that have been ethically sourced are produced and sold in a responsible and sustainable way. This means that the people involved in production are treated fairly and there’s no negative social or environmental impacts.  

The fashion industry has been in the spotlight recently, with reports of the huge amount of waste and the impact on the planet. Which is why we decided to support Santos Shoes Ghana by purchasing some ‘Smarterly’ branded Santos shoes.  

Santos Shoes Ghana is a social impact driven venture, launched to celebrate, promote and distribute the creativity of west Africa. Each pair of shoes is handmade locally by Santos, a talented Beninese living in Accra. 

Working with excess stock from European fashion and retail brands, he uses local fabrics to hand stitch unique, quirky and beautiful designs onto the shoes, ‘re-purposing’ them and selling them across the world.  

This reduces fashion ‘waste’ and supports local manufacturing and craftsmanship.  Santos shows Ghana supports local production by using local materials and production methods.  

In addition to being able to support ethical business practices, our shoes have been the subject of much interest and lots of compliments! If you’re interested in supporting responsible and sustainable practices why not have a look at what Santos has on offer.