Crafting Tire Sole Sandals
As a social impact brand, Deux Mains is committed to providing meaningful jobs for Haitian craftsmen and women, while creating well-made products that are handmade and incorporate eco-friendly materials. This is our promise to you because we know you care about how your footwear is made.
You want to purchase fashion products that are also ethical and sustainable, because it's your right to fight for the kind of world you want to live in. We heard you. And each purchase from Deux Mains helps you cast a vote for equality and justice.
Now you want to know, how are some of our products are made? We’d like to give you the blueprint to one of our most popular products; our signature tire sole sandals.
First: It begins with a tire sole made from up-cycled car tires. Each sole proudly carries the marks of rolling through the chaotic streets of Port Au Prince. We collect and repurpose these tires as Haiti doesn't have formal means to recycle rubber. In partnership with local tire companies, we intercept them before they are taken to the countryside to be burned or thrown in the ocean.
Next: We take our newly found treasures to a town near the border of the Dominican Republic where we set up a satellite Deux Mains factory in a displacement camp to provide income for a workforce we trained to clean, cut and process the sidewalls into our tire soles. Supporting another community to be empowered with a paycheck. Once the tires have been transformed in the camp, they are delivered to our craftsmen and women in Port Au Prince who cut them to size with solar powered industrial machines.
After the Tire Transformation: The foam and locally sourced leather uppers that have been cut, skived, and sewn to perfection are lasted to the sandal sole.
And finally the finishing touches are administered. The edges are sanded and cleaned, and the final quality control takes place.
Our sandal straps are made from luxurious artisanal leather, some of which are hand painted, or adored with rhinestones. Every pair is totally unique, just like you!
Our sandals are warehoused in America, where they are packaged and sent to you! Such a journey for a beautiful pair of ethical sandals you can be proud to wear.