Hi HN,<p>I’m the co-founder of Markhor. Our goal is to connect the customer directly with the craftsmen, who are making your products regardless of in which part of the world they're being made. Internet has enabled us to do so especially in the developing countries (this is where most of the luxury goods are made).<p>Today we are taking the first step towards our goal and launching our transparency project. We believe you have the right to know where and under what conditions your products are made and who is making them. We believe no one wants to wear a pair of shoes/clothing made by a child or a pregnant women under abusive conditions. Even though our craftsmen have been making European shoes for decades, it’s only now that we are able to connect them directly to the end customer.<p>So what transparency are we bringing to our own company? For every order or a pair of shoes, you’ll know about the craftsmen/women who made them. You’ll receive step-by-step details about the work in progress through email. This is our first step (in beta right now) in this direction and we're experimenting this with some of our customers and the Kickstarter backers.<p>You can see the email screenshot here: <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0427/6309/files/Markhor-Transparency-Email.png" rel="nofollow">https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0427/6309/files/Markhor-Tr...</a><p>Happy to answer any questions about our products or the transparency mission in general.<p>-SQ
It's definitely cool to see that they're picking up steam/attention. I got a pair of chappals from them in the Kickstarter, and they're without a doubt the fanciest/best-quality sandals I've ever owned.<p>Customer service is top-notch as well. (Initial pair came in a bit small, I have kinda-wide feet. They were very attentive in responding and getting a wider pair out to me.)<p>It was also fascinating to see how well the Kickstarter campaign was run. Very personable, very friendly, lots of information along the way... other campaigns could definitely learn from them.<p>I'm definitely hoping to get a pair of loafers later, and my fiancée is waiting eagerly for a women's collection from them.<p>Seriously, I can't say enough good things about them. They've earned it.
I would be interested to know how they made the call to sell men's shoes instead of women's first. Not that I think it's a bad approach, I am just curious because I assumed this would be for women.<p>The shoes look really nicely crafted and it seems like a great cross-cultural thing. The black Chappals look fantastic. Kudos.
Bought a pair of black loafers from Markhor during the Kickstarter campaign, and they are both elegant and comfortable. Bought another pair shortly thereafter, and I've got my eye on the chappals.<p>Best of luck to you guys!
One of the huge advantages of (high-end) designer shoes is customisation. Do you have any plans for this? I like the look of your shoes and was considering buying however I didn't like either colour of leather. One of the things I love about Berluti is that their off the shelf range can still be purchased in a huge variety of leathers (or patina) and can still be customised to an extent. If you're building these shoes from scratch, I'm sure you'll be able to do even more.<p>Ignoring my slight complaint above, I love what you're doing - it seems you will be able to really make a difference, good luck!
How is your company even competitive compared to other up-and-comers (Jack Erwin, Beckett Simonon, etc) that do exactly that but for lower prices?<p>Really, your shoes are pretty pricey ($225). For that price, I EXPECT to have some service (with the middle man if it needs to be).<p>Some questions that I really needed the answers to before I would even consider making a purchase:
- Can I send back my shoes to be recrafted?
- Do you offer any warranty (like a year or something?) You mention 100 days if I have not worn them. Regular $30 shoes last even longer, so 100 days is really not enough.
- Some of the products that I looked at don't mention what type of leather you use. That's a bad sign. I expect it to be full grain leather. Otherwise, it's probably fake.
- What stitching do you use? From pictures (nice design btw) I can tell that it's Goodyear construction but it needs to be explicitly mentioned.<p>From my own experience, custom made shoes take forever to complete. First, you need to get enough people to sign up for a specific style, then you need to produce them, and then you send it out. Good luck with it -- I have also been considering opening up a shoe making business. Great to see such company in YC.
Regarding your recent Kickstarter campaign, first kudos to you, and well done.<p>However, I'm more than a little intrigued about the mechanics of HOW you pulled that off.<p>More specifically - I was under the impression that Kickstarter only raised funds for companies <i>operating</i> (or at least based) in the US, and a few other countries (all? in the West).<p>How was it possible then, for a company based in Pakistan, to raise money from Kickstarter?. Were there any particular obstacles that you had to overcome?
>Takes the middleman out of designer shoemaking<p>>I’m the co-founder of Markhor. Our goal is to connect the customer directly with the craftsmen<p>So ... becoming the new middleman in the process ...