IN OUR WORDS

There’s a lot of pressure in being a front runner. Setting up a brand is a tough business, then add a whole host of ethical and sustainable considerations into the mix and you’ve got a pretty steep mountain to climb. But all this said, our latest brand to join the store is nothing but positive. Setting the best kind of example with with their organic approach to unisex design, Good News are a contemporary footwear brand literally aiming to ‘bring the world a little bit of Good News’. Their footwear is immediately appealing; an easy wear range of simple designs with a nod to vintage shapes and baseball inspired branding. The clean styling and use of bold colour hits a home run for anyone and is designed to last all year round. Think fresh and iconic, these are trainers you’ll keep for years to come.

Founders Ben Tattersall and Nia Jones have worked in fashion since studying together in Manchester, and after working with and for various high street brands they couldn’t ignore the amount of wastage that is created every season. Taking note, the pair launched Good News on the premise of developing a brand that could be both affordable and sustainable. With a ‘product comes first’ approach the brand side steps trends or marketing fads with their universally appealing designs. Production is important to them, with careful ethical monitoring at all stages and a close management of their supply chain. Their outreach work with Good Luck Shoes, a collective of designers in London and Milan, donates shoes to those who need them within the migrant and refugee population arriving into Europe. They have already donated 525 pairs of shoes through the brand’s sales and plan to carry this further to other immigration centers around the world, along with getting to know the people who they help, humanising the refugee crisis whilst still providing practical support. This is a brand we can get behind.

IN THEIR WORDS 

‘As sneaker consumers ourselves, we were struggling to find something fresh. We felt the canvas pump market was missing colour and boldness, and we wanted to create a sole unit that would look fresh in the summer but was durable enough to rock in the winter. From this mindset we have created a unique thick natural rubber sole that gives ultra-comfort for both men and women looking for a contemporary sneaker at an accessible price. The use of bold designs and primary colours is at the core of what we do at Good News, with 70’s subcultures playing a big part. Style and use of colour in baseball team kits or vintage trading cards play a big inspiration in our designs and mood boards. Think The Endless Summer meets The Warriors.

With complete clarity and be honesty in mind, starting a brand is a daunting task. Starting a footwear brand is especially daunting. One of the most challenging factors is finance, hence why you don’t see many new footwear brands as production and mould costs are quite hefty. We were only able to get Good News off the ground initially using the contacts we have with factories in China. Luckily we have a close working relationship with our factory who believes in our ethos. There is a lot of stigma attached to Chinese production, when it is in fact progressive. We spent two years before launching developing our own sole unit, ensuring each component of our shoes is sourced ethically and that our processes are waste-efficient. Our soles are made from natural rubber. Our materials are organic. The glue isn’t tested on animals.

Moving forwards, we are currently in the process of transferring production to a factory in Portugal. The main reason for this is to save on travel costs; to stay true to our brand values we have had to go over to China 6 - 8 times a year over the last few years so Portugal makes more sense for us financially. From 2019 onwards, we are going to introduce a new product category every season ie; a small collection of t-shirts one season, then a collection of socks the next. We want to slowly build a global lifestyle brand with a positive ethos. Above all we want to keep Good News fresh, keep it colourful and keep it positive.’

GET TO KNOW GOOD NEWS

Do you have any daily rituals?

Having gratitude, smiling and eating a banana.

Tell us about your neighborhood.

Hackney. A few too many man-buns but it makes up for it with all the parks.

Who is your hero?

My 102-year-old self-confessed dare-devil Great Grandpa. He jumped out of a plane last year and now holds the world record to be the oldest person ever to do a sky dive. When asked what his secret was to a long life was, he replied; “just keep breathing” - HERO.

Tell us about the best decision you have made.

Deciding to make charity work a part of Good News.

What record always makes you get up and dance?

Talk Talk – It’s My Life

What’s your fashion guilty secret?

A good old pair of crocs to the beach

If you could lend one book you have read to us, what would it be?

The Tao Of Pooh. Winnie-the-Pooh has a certain way about him, a way of doing things that has made him the world's most beloved bear, and Pooh's Way, as Benjamin Hoff brilliantly demonstrates, seems strangely close to the ancient Chinese principles of Taoism. The simple life!

What is the best advice you have ever received?

No worry, No hurry.

Words by Rebecca Field. Shop the Good News collection online and in store.