Traditional India Sandals Sourced Ethically By Mill Valley Entrepreneur

Silicon Valley lawyer turned young entrepreneur offers a new shoe, ethically sourced, in traditional India fashion, with his Mohinder Shoes.

Tam Valley resident, Michael Paratore worked for less than two-years as a corporate start-up lawyer before he realized his calling was somewhere else, finding his mission on a trip to India.

“I loved the context and people in my job, I just didn’t love the legal aspect,” explained Paratore, “I wanted more output and fulfillment.”

On a business trip to India with his wife, Paratore discovered a pair of shoes, he says, changed his direction in life.

“I grabbed these shoes, and loved them,” he explained, “They’re well made and I got compliments on them all the time.”

Partore says he pitched the idea of importing the shoes locally to his friends in Mill Valley and in India, they were supportive, so he decided to go for it.

“So in September 2012, I took this crazy sourcing trip to India, on a mission to find the maker,” he says, “I wanted to feel the momentum. My goals were to find an ethical source I felt comfortable doing business with, that could support the demand. I did exactly what I thought I was supposed to do, found the guy I bought the from in Kolhapur.”

As Paratore Googled his way through a several week adventure in India, he told his story to several people, even headlining local news as the insane American lawyer who quit his job to sell sandals.

In Bangalore, 16-hours away from where he set out, Paratore found who he calls, “an amazing entrepreneur woman,” who wanted to give back to Indian artists and woman, starting a co-op for artist in the area.

“We want to work with the most eco-friendly products we can, using heirloom tanned leather. We are also working to incorporating vegetable-tanned, water buffalo leather” he explained, “After a few tweaks to the designs in order to improve comfort and quality, we are ready to begin promoting the product."

Right now, Paratore says he prides himself on one most important value of his Mohinder Shoes, social responsibility.

“200-families are hand-making these shoes,” he says, “I know I’m not changing the world, but sourcing ethically is just something I needed to do to feel good about what I am doing.”

Mohinder Shoes are available on Paratore’s Kickstarter campaign starting at $95.