What Ethically Made Means To Us

“Ethically Handcrafted in Bangladesh” - That tagline might seem like “just another trendy sales pitch”.  But here at La Mode, words matter a lot. To us that tagline is not an easy statement to make, and with it comes a challenge to ourselves. To always provide the best. And to do it in an ethical way.

At La Mode, our ethics aren’t just reserved for our products - its a way of life. We conduct our business with the highest respect for key moral principles that include honesty, fairness, equality, dignity, diversity and individual rights. This means working with suppliers that pay fair wages, guarantee that no child labor is allowed within their factories, and who maintain a safe working environment and going to all lengths to ensure that our own staff receive the same.

Our products are handcrafted from 100% cruelty free vegan leathers. We try our best to ensure that we are dealing with fair trade companies that align with our ethics and policies.

We take extra care to ensure that our talented artisans are appropriately reimbursed for their hard work, and when we say that all our staff members are family - we mean it. For generations, shoe artisans in Bangladesh have been sitting on the floor, working on wood stumps, and applying the glue with their hands. Even though we tried to train them in using brushes and work benches, eventually they return to their original preferences. So, from our end, we make sure to ensure their comfort as much as possible by providing floor mats and gloves. We also provide healthcare and life insurance benefits for all our artisans and provide educational support for their families as well. We are constantly innovating and updating our manufacturing unit, making sure that our artisans have the best of resources that we can offer.

Our founder and creative director, Fahmida Islam used to be the accountant for the women’s cooperative owned by her mother in Cox’s Bazar. Eventually she took over and started giving them work that was exhibited and sold in La Mode. The profits from the products go to the cooperative, which in turn provides employment for housewives in rural Cox’s Bazar and allows them to support their families and educate their children, which is a huge achievement for them as it helps them climb out of poverty and lead dignified lives.

• The term ethically made is twofold - one is regarding the material and sourcing of the material, and second is regarding the artisans who make the products.
• We make sure that our products are made from 100% cruelty free vegan leathers. We try our best to ensure that we are dealing with fair trade companies that align with our ethics and policies.
• We take extra care to ensure that our talented artisans are appropriately reimbursed for their hard work. **speak about things that benefit the workers and the women’s cooperative** For generations, shoe artisans in Bangladesh have been sitting on the floor, working on wood stumps, and applying the glue with their hands. Even though we tried to train them in using brushes and work benches, eventually they return to their original preferences. So, from our end, we make sure to ensure their comfort as much as possible by providing floor mats and gloves. We also provide healthcare and life insurance benefits for all our artisans and provide educational support for their families as well.
  Fahmida Islam used to be the accountant for the women’s cooperative owned by her mother in Cox’s Bazar. Eventually she took over and started giving them work that was exhibited in La Mode. This cooperative provides employment for housewives in rural Cox’s Bazar and allows them to support their families and educate their children.
• We are constantly innovating and updating our manufacturing unit, making sure that our artisans have the best of resources that we can offer.