We are excited to be working on our first US based initiative with the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe in Cape Cod, Massachusetts! It all began when Rao and I thought it would be cool to expand our product offer to closed-toe footwear as well. Moccasins came to mind and we set out on a journey to find a source. Turns out that real moccasins are not only expensive ($100+ because they are handmade from premium leather) but not really all that practical for everyday use by most people. The thin leather sole provides little cushioning, and in our asphalt covered world – they wear out fast. Several consumer brands such as Minnetonka and LL Bean have built expansive product lines of modernized moccasins with shoe like soles which you can get pretty much anywhere these days.

During the process of learning about the American Indian, and traditional American Indian footwear we got quite the history lesson (a nice side benefit of working at Common Soles!). It turns out the local tribe to us here in Massachusetts has a long and proud heritage of working with Quahog shells and crafting them into beautiful pieces of jewelry (I wrote about this on Nov 4th). We met several times with members from the tribe and together came up with the idea of crafting shells into pieces of artwork that can be attached to the top strap of a flip-flop. Not only does the net product look good, but as our friends who have been test wearing them let us know “they are also great conversation starters”. Right on!

We’re offering three different configurations of the Quahog shell jewelry and you can choose an attachment method that works best for you. The Wampanoag prefer using the Deerskin leather as a simple tie on as no synthetic materials are used. It’s the purist route, and the one they prefer. Just locally collected Quahog shells from the Cape Cod coast coupled with a Deerskin leather tie, nothing else. For those who want a simpler method of attachment we offer an elastic loop version. If you want these shells for your kids, or you’re not so good at tying knots you might want to get the elasticized version (or you just like the way they look!). Either way, you get the same unique looking Quahog shells.

We asked the Wampanoag what they could use some help in funding to benefit their community. The Food Pantry in Mashpee, MA rose to the top of that list. This one is also a no brainer, 20% of the selling price from these shells is allocated to the Food Pantry. Simple as that.

Got a question? Want to learn more? Just ask!

Thanks,
Dave