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NEWMARKET. For those that don’t know you, can you tell us a little about your background and why you started Bared?
ANNA. It’s definitely not the most conventional of fashion backgrounds! My journey began in podiatry, where I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of stylish footwear options that I could recommend to my patients.
The shoes that were good for your feet were clearly designed for an older customer and I would never have worn them myself. I was consistently seeing this gap in the market, and eventually, I realised that if no one else was going to fill it, I should. I never saw myself working in fashion, but I kept on being drawn back to this idea that shoes could be good for your feet, and also look great.
N. Where did the name Bared come from?
A. It is a play on words with my surname. I was initially going to call it Bared by Baird but we decided that was a bit of a mouthful.
N. Were there any major roadblocks that you faced in launching your own label?
A. It was definitely a steep learning curve launching my own business! The first few years were hard and I encountered some classic roadblocks. My husband and I put every dollar we had into the business. We sold our house and rented it back, and loaded up on credit card debt. Initially we put all of our capital into a large order of shoes that to be honest looking back now were fairly ugly and didn’t fit particularly well. I was in the store everyday so I could see what needed to be done to improve the shoes but I just needed to be able to keep the business alive long enough to get there.
My primary focus was on developing shoes that I was proud of – shoes that looked great but were also biomechanically sound and comfortable. My initial shoes were not great at first, but my customer service was. Our customers believed in what I was trying to achieve and loyally stuck with the brand as the shoes improved.
Marketing in the early days was me working out how to use photoshop to send emails and I marketed to health professionals. I worked out pretty quickly that I needed to employ creative people who were really engaged and could use a camera. I did just that and some of these fantastic creative people are still with me 16 years on.
N. Bared has six stores in Australia as well as a newly opened store in Soho, New York (congratulations!) and the Newmarket store is your New Zealand Flagship store, what made you choose Newmarket?
A. Thank you! It’s been a big year of ‘new’ for us. The decision to open in Newmarket for our flagship New Zealand store was based on the area's reputation as a premier shopping destination. We thought this type of shopper, as well as Newmarket’s iconic style really aligned with who we are at Bared.
N. The space is gorgeous, a bright neutral and airy space that showcases your designs, yet each of your stores has a unique look and feel, what was the inspiration behind the design of your NZ space?
A. The NZ store design was inspired by a desire to create a warm and welcoming environment that reflects Bared’s identity. Each store has a unique aesthetic, blending natural elements with contemporary design to showcase the shoes effectively. When we were developing our first ever NZ store, we wanted to be sure we were locking into who we were, but also tapping into a space that really spoke to our NZ local customers. We also loved that the Newmarket space was on a gorgeous main street, which we always find to be an extremely welcoming setting for new customers, bringing in as much natural light as possible.
N. The collection is really extensive, covering women’s and men’s footwear, from bridal and heels through to loafers, boots and sneakers and even slippers, do you design the entire range yourself?
A. I am heavily involved in the design process, ensuring that each piece reflects the brand’s ethos of combining style and support. We always have people in the office trialling samples, wearing different shoes to ensure they’ll be the perfect fit for the customer - making sure everyone will feel confident they can go anywhere and everywhere in their Bared shoes. I won’t sign off on a shoe unless I can be confident it ticks every box, from the biomechanical footbed, all the way through to the look and feel.
N. What is the main point of difference between Bared and any other shoe retailer?
A. Well I think at Bared, the key to what makes us stand out is that not only do we make shoes that look and feel good on your feet, we also keep sustainability front-of-mind at every step of the production process. Whilst most brands choose one of those elements to focus on, we tackle all three without compromise.
N. Can you tell us where Bared shoes are made and a bit more about your manufacturers and your responsible production plan?
A. Most of our women's range is produced by a factory in Dongguan, China, who we have partnered with for over 12 years. From the outset, our suppliers understand our commitment to sustainability and agree to consistent third-party auditing and stringent traceability requirements. If we identify areas for improvement, we collaborate with our suppliers to enhance their performance through action plans, rather than simply switching to a new partner. I encourage business owners to work closely with their manufacturers to achieve shared goals. The positive impact you can have is enormous.
N. Bared also has some incredible sustainability initiatives in place, can you tell us a bit more about that?
A. In 2021 we became Australia’s first footwear brand to become B-Corp Certified. B Corp businesses commit to the highest social and environmental standards for the well-being of people and the planet. These values are not just words to us; they are the principles we live by. We have sustainability initiatives at every level of Bared. Here are some highlights:
At the product level, we've significantly increased our use of biobased materials and really improved our supply chain traceability in 2024 (we even won a Banksia award for our efforts). From an organisational level, our initiatives are equally important. We have a Green Team with members from across the business driving sustainability efforts and sustainability leads in every store to help implement these initiatives.
N. When it comes to material, what do you look for and does this affect design?
A. Footwear is an incredibly polluting industry and I decided a few years ago that the biggest impact that we can have in limiting our impact on the environment is going to be in the materials that we use to construct our shoes. It’s important to say that selecting materials for footwear is really challenging, as they need to be extremely durable to withstand constant impact and support our body weight. Typically synthetic materials have been used in footwear construction to achieve this level of durability.
Over the past few years I am really proud of the partnerships that we have created to introduce components that are 100% biobased into our shoes. Our partnership with fibre innovators NFW is a significant step toward this goal thanks to the rollout of PLIANT, a plastic-free outsole that has currently been rolled out into over 80% of our styles.
N. Comfort is a pivotal component for Bared footwear – can you tell us a bit more about the technical side of this design component?
A. The secret ingredient to our shoes is the biomechanical footbed, which features in every pair we create. The other secret that really isn’t so secret is that we actually care about the fit and comfort of our shoes and we often have to sample a shoe many times to make sure that our customers are going to find it comfortable. I was shocked in the early days when working with factories that they were not used to working with brands that cared so much about the fit and comfort. The factories hated me for a while as they continually had to remake samples after moving straps by 2mm but eventually when I came back to order more shoes they started to see the value in creating shoes that customers wanted to come back and re-purchase.
N. Where do you find design inspiration?
A. I draw inspiration from countless places, but our designs consistently take into consideration fashion trends, runways, customer feedback, and international influences. There are plenty of trends that we will never get behind as they simply can never be a design that is great for you. We will never do styles like slides, mules or stiletto heels.
N. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your summer collection?
A. We’ve been really inspired by the Sapphire Coast along the Eastern Shoreline of Australia. In our shoes and creative, you’ll find effervescent colourways, hand-woven leathers, textural elements and styles that encompass all there is to love about going from the beach to the bar on a beautiful summer's day.
N. Owning a business means wearing many hats and being across all aspects of the business, what is your favourite part of what you do?
A. I love creating a beautiful, quality product but how we market our product to get it out to new and current customers is always really challenging and fun. I love seeing customers appreciate the comfort and style of the products. I also love being able to go into our stores to spend time with our teams and customers.
N. With stores in Australia, New Zealand and America, working across multiple time zones must be challenging, how do you juggle and keep the work-life balance?
A. As the founder of a business, you get used to early mornings and late nights. This year has been a particularly big one as I have travelled so much. I have a great team at Bared who work incredibly hard and make our brand great. Employing the best people then empowering them to act as though the business is their own and see the business growth as an investment in their own career and future is the key.
N. What’s next for Bared?
A. When I started Bared 16 years ago I wanted to fill a gap in the market for shoes that looked great and were great for your feet and body. Sustainability was not honestly front of mind. Now we are on a mission to make product that is legitimately better for our planet.
This is easier said than done and we are definitely not there yet but we are certainly putting our money where our mouth is and working with incredible partners around the world to develop 100% biobased shoe / petroleum free components to craft our shoes.
BARED FOOTWEAR
254 BROADWAY
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Tags: Interviews