LOEFFLER RANDALL
It is not often that style, comfort, and conscience coalesce in a shoe company, but long-time fashion darling Loeffler Randall has always relied on these as cornerstones of its ideology.
The Loeffler Randall Story
The Loeffler Randall brand’s uniqueness lies in their “passion, distinctive aesthetic, technical expertise, and a lifelong love of shoes,” says Jessie Randall, Loeffler Randall founder. Jessie created Loeffler Randall in 2004 out of her garden apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, with the help of her husband, Brian. At Loeffler Randall, they love making distinctive products in small, considered batches with attention to every detail. Creativity lies at the heart of Loeffler Randall. They are always thinking about new designs so they can offer their Loeffler Randall customers their signature point of view through their unique, select items. Loeffler Randall opened its first store in SoHo, New York City, in 2021.
Loeffler Randall Perspectives
The Loeffler Randall team has 35 people, 94% of whom are women. Loeffler Randall proudly crafts products by women, for women. The Loeffler Randall designers create new looks from their light-filled office in SoHo, NYC, fashioning designs they themselves want to wear. Loeffler Randall designers are their own customers, so they design for the needs of women like them. Loeffler Randall customers tend to be women leading busy lives who want to invest in quality products that move eloquently between school drop-offs to board meetings to dinner, and everything in between. The products bearing the Loeffler Randall name are designed to be lived in and loved for many seasons and years to come. The unique aesthetic of Loeffler Randall has been honed through nearly 20 years and 75 seasons of diligent work on their craft. Their accessory-making expertise and creativity become expressed through signature designs imbued with their unique aesthetic. They aim to create deeply personal products, carry a unique point of view, and allow their Loeffler Randall wearers to have confidence in their self-expression through these elegant Loeffler Randall pieces. Loeffler Randall is proudest when their customers choose Loeffler Randall pieces for a special event, an important interview, and even for their wedding day.
Loeffler Randall Construction
Loeffler Randall believes that design should always be fresh, distinctive, and original. So, the Loeffler Randall designers play around with their beautiful materials by cutting, sewing, and stitching to dream up new details and design elements that haven’t yet been seen. About 40 hand mock-ups get created as new designs evolve and become part of each new season’s collection. Each pair of signature Loeffler Randall Penny heels has over 400 pleats and takes 28 steps to make, from sending the fabric to the pleater to hand-tying each bow. Handcrafted beautiful elements take time, and partly for this reason, Loeffler Randall makes only small batches and wants to sell out of them each season. Loeffler Randall produces in small batches because they don’t want to make any more than is needed. Their practice of creating collections in small batches with the goal of selling them out reduces waste while also ensuring Loeffler Randall pieces are each made thoughtfully, with the appropriate care and time it takes to reach the Loeffler Randall quality.
Loeffler Randall Ethics
Loeffler Randall Waste Reduction Efforts
In ongoing efforts to further reduce waste, Loeffler Randall is working toward sustainable packaging for their products. They currently use environmentally friendly, socially responsible paper for their packaging, and Loeffler Randall wants to do even better. They also aim to transport more Loeffler Randall goods by sea rather than by air, reducing carbon emissions by more than 90%.
Loeffler Randall and Responsible Sourcing
Loeffler Randall uses responsible sources by choosing materials with minimal environmental impact. For example, Loeffler Randall designers will use marabou feathers harvested during molting season for responsible harvesting. Loeffler Randall also uses Tuscan leather tanned with natural tannins in some of their products, with the byproducts of this tanning process recycled for agricultural use. And further, Loeffler Randall always reuses and recycles wherever they can.
Loeffler Randall Supports its Supply Workers
Loeffler Randall’s corporate ethics prioritize making a positive impact on the people, communities, and environments across their supply chain. They achieve this through valued partnerships between Loeffler Randall and family-owned factories and artisan collectives, all of which share the Loeffler Randall commitment to cherishing craft, ensuring fair compensation, and protecting worker health and safety. Loeffler Randall partners with the non-profit organization Nest, which boasts more than 150,000 artisans in its Nest Gild Community across 99 countries. Most artisans – 74% – are women, who say their primary use of income is sending their children to school. Loeffler Randall’s partnering with Nest means Loeffler Randall can support the ability of their workers to work from home or in small workshops, and this means that the artisans who contribute to Nest and to Loeffler Randall can enjoy more flexible schedules to support their families.
Loeffler Randall and Sustainability
The ethics of Loeffler Randall also manifest in their production consciousness. Loeffler Randall has hired an expert to help them, as a fashion company, integrate practices to reduce impacts on environmental resources and pollution. Their expert is Dr. Kannan Muthu, the first ever PhD in sustainability with an emphasis on clothing and accessories.