From scrap to award-winning shoes: the Hand Dyed Shoe Company
Simon Bourne turned a desire to salvage scrap leather into an award-winning footwear brand.
Simon Bourne founded The Hand Dyed Shoe Company in 2014 while working as a sales manager for a London-based chair manufacturer. Upset by the volume of waste going to landfill, Bourne was inspired to transform the scrap leather into anything that he could, which he would later sell online via marketplaces Ebay and Etsy.
It was his love of fashion and the creative freedom that designing allows for that drove Bourne to “properly” launch The Hand Dyed Shoe Company in 2016, as the bespoke shoe manufacturer that it is today.
The company now sells more than 30 styles, which are all named after cow breeds. Retail prices range from £299 for the Mr Ox trainer to £399 for the Mr Bonsmara Chelsea boot.