Wellness and Ethics
As an independent business we are free and flexible enough to do things that we believe in.
Our Values
Andrew Begg is a small, independent business which does not have to satisfy shareholder expectations or adopt a profit-only approach. We are therefore free and flexible enough to do things that we believe in and enjoy, like being quirky and personal in our product choices, spending as long as it takes with a customer and trying wherever possible to take an environmentally friendly approach.
“We actively select footwear which looks good but will help your comfort and thereby improve your quality of life (no exaggeration!). “
In Forfar, Katharine has introduced foot-friendly brands such as Strive, featuring built-in orthotics to support your foot, creating a solid and straight foundation for the ankles, knees and hips. Aches and pains further up the body often start at the feet.
Wellness
We actively select footwear which looks good but will help your comfort and thereby improve your quality of life (no exaggeration!). Even in dress shoes, we are conscious of what will kill after five minutes and what you could wear all day at a wedding! You want your joints to last a lifetime and hopefully we can prevent poor choices with our care and advice, whilst offering a bit of fun and personality at the same time!
Ethical Approach
We try to buy product with as small a carbon footprint as possible, preferring European production (there is sadly little in the UK) to Far East wherever possible. Even then, we work with known firms of good reputation who control or monitor their supply chain and take responsibility for worker conditions, sustainability, pollution and sea miles (footwear is seldom transported by air). That’s not to say we or they are perfect, however we are conscious and genuinely interested in these issues and strive to address them at every opportunity.
We continue to trial Vegan footwear (cattle irgo leather affecting greenhouse gases) and always consider whether product elements are recycled, whether it be laces, sole units, the uppers themselves, the boxes they’re in or the stuffers which stop the shoe being crushed in transit!