See also Episode 2: Provenance Is Everything | https://wootten.com.au/ep2provenanceiseverythingvideo/

See also Episode 3: Our Story So Far | https://wootten.com.au/ep3ourstorysofarvideo/

See also Episode 4: Good Things Take Time | https://wootten.com.au/ep4goodthingstaketimevideo/

See also Episode 5: Community Is Key | https://wootten.com.au/ep5communityiskeyvideo/

Coming Soon Episode 6: It's All About The Craft

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

We find ourselves in a world where virtually anything is possible and “stuff” is plentiful, yet we are generally less fulfilled. Why? Humans require community, connection, inspiration and meaning to thrive.

What if the purpose of our existence was to enhance connection, foster community, better our environment, create more diverse and inclusive workplaces and fundamentally inspire us to make the world a better place? At Wootten, that's what we are trying to do.

For the best part of half a century, our family have been hand crafting high quality leather goods and footwear in Australia. For this entire time, we’ve been far more concerned about the craft, the process and the purpose of our existence, than our bottom line.

Fundamentally, we’re people who think far too much about why we do what we do… and we apply this ethos to whatever we turn our hand to, whether it be building houses, making wine, or what we do every day in our workshop, which is making boots.

We care deeply about making a positive and long lasting impact on our world, our industry and our community.

The motto that has helped inform how we approach what we do in the workshop is something said by Charles and Ray Eames, To “get the most of the best to the greatest number for the least”. When these words were uttered by the Eames’ they were talking about process and materials being streamlined in order to create high quality goods efficiently. The mid 20th century was a pretty optimistic time, a bit of a different time to where we are at present.

Today we need to consider the social, environmental and ethical outcomes of our production. The more human aspect of it. Fundamentally the statement means to get as much benefit as possible to the greatest number of people with the lowest negative impact to the environment and our community and to do it efficiently. At Wootten, we aim to bring traditional craft and manufacturing techniques together in order to create the best quality products in the most efficient manner, allowing the greatest number of people possible to access them.

Our purpose is not merely to produce “traditional” footwear so that there are welted shoes in the world. There are enough of these already. Our purpose is to ensure that our industry continues, and to foster the community surrounding our small team. After all, our small team and 400 pairs of boots annually is a drop in an increasingly vast ocean. But, by supporting local farmers, tanneries and raw material suppliers, the ripple effects of our existence have much broader impacts outside our walls. Beyond our jobs, there are tens, if not hundreds of others, supported in our faltering industry.

Using materials sourced and produced locally makes them uniquely of their place.

The very construction we use, designed to be durable, repairable and enduring.

Our small team, expert in their craft, sharing the process transparently with our customers to foster connection with what we consume.

In light of all of this, we are now bound to consider more broadly the legacy of our creations and the function which they play in enhancing and enriching our lives, our communities and our human connections. Frankly, our purpose is to positively change our world.

For the direct Youtube link visit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lZesDKh1Kg