The best thing that ever happened to Steven Weinreb was losing his job. The exact date was January 7th, 2009, in the middle of an economic downturn that had many qualified and intelligent employees scrambling to find work. Infuriated with corrupted corporations and frustrated by the Government’s tendency to bail out the big guys, Weinreb quickly moved into survival mode. Like many great entrepreneurs his frustration became his motivation and he revisited a socially responsible idea he had several years earlier: Making shoes out of Tyvek, the material that FedEx uses for their envelopes.
Made out of high-density polyethylene fibers, Tyvek looks like paper and is extremely durable and tear-resistant; concert promoters often use it for wrist-bands at shows. Steven first learned of the material while working for a shoe brand that packaged its travel sneakers in Tyvek bags. Fascinated by the material’s strength, he founded Civic Duty, a company whose name is a call to action that encourages environmental responsibility.
Like any new undertaking, there was quite a bit of trial and error involved. “The material has great properties. Figuring out how to make shoes commercially was another story,” said Weinreb. At first, he tried vulcanization but the heating process burned the material. After that, he attempted to cement the upper part of the shoe to the sole but the cement would not adhere to the Tyvek material.
In his last attempt, Steven sewed a nylon band around the bottom of the upper half of the shoe and applied the cement to the nylon band, finally securing it to the sole of the shoe. “You would think the shoes would be disposable after one wearing but Tyvek is fantastic,” he told me. “It’s breathable, lightweight and long lasting.”
The stickiness factor traveled far beyond the cemented shoe, as Weinreb’s concept proved its appeal to both fashion-savvy and environmentally aware individuals who want to look cool and feel good about how they spend their money. Individuals appreciate well-thought out and environmentally friendly processes: Look at brands like TOMS and FEED who design a very attractive product and still manage to give back to the community.
Civic Duty’s shoes are 100% recyclable. In addition, each year Weinreb designs an exclusive shoe with 100% of the profits donated to a different social cause. “The concept behind Civic Duty works great in today’s market which is more accepting than ever of new ideas and hungry for innovation,” he told me. “I get emails all the time from people in the fashion industry and people who are environmentally conscious telling me how much they love our product.”
Civic Duty’s story reminds us that failure is sometimes the first step to success. After the shock of getting laid off subsided, Steven recognized this challenge as an opportunity to explore an idea he was passionate about. His determination led him to found an economically responsible and fashionable brand that continues to grow and set ethical standards for the future – making Civic Duty a company whose shoes I’d like to walk a mile in.