At Melvin & Hamilton, quality is paramount. For this reason, all types of leather are selected with the utmost care. Karim & Olivier want to sell sustainable products at a fair price-performance ratio. The majority of models are therefore vegetable tanned. This process produces robust leather in an environmentally friendly way and without any health risks. Another characteristic of Melvin & Hamilton is the use of braided leather.

What others are still learning has always been part of our DNA – a sustainable production method that respects people and nature.

Our Heidelberg managing directors Karim & Olivier Choukair recognized very early on that outstanding quality can only be guaranteed through manual work and natural manufacturing processes. We do not skip any production step and control the entire process.

"During my childhood, I visited many Italian production sites with my father, and this had a profound impact on my understanding of quality." - Karim Choukair

It all starts with the selection of our leather, which we always source locally. Further processing is carried out exclusively according to strict guidelines (gold rated).

We mainly use the so-called “vegetable tanning” (vegetable tanning), a purely natural tanning process as used by indigenous peoples and which takes 24 days of careful processing.

Our impressive color palette of 78 shades is water based.

We sew and glue our soles; the glue used is made of latex and is therefore a natural product.

For example, after around 250 work steps, a derby shoe with a leather sole is created that is 98% biodegradable.

We offer our customers sustainable products of above-average quality – our shoes are particularly characterized by their breathability and durability.

Our commitment is not limited to the manufacturing process, but begins with the selection of our employees. We only employ very well-trained employees in our studios and in return offer them above-average working conditions. At the same time, we train them in the manufacturing methods and initiate them into the very specific Melvin & Hamilton technique of two-tone finishing.

We also promote and preserve the traditional art of weaving. Our accessories and shoes made of braided leather are among the bestsellers in our collections.

The studios we employ all meet the recognized gold rated standard. Our innovative manufacturing processes set us apart from our local competitors.

This also means that the water used in production can be cleaned and then reused.

We limit our transport routes to a minimum in order to reduce our CO2 emissions.

We are also constantly optimizing our packaging. This does not just mean the packaging of the finished product on its way to the customer, but also the packaging of the materials in the production process.

But our vision goes even further:

"There are a few points that are close to my heart. Sustainability is often used as a pure marketing term and not really lived. For us, however, it is reflected in all aspects, from design to production to shipping. We want to inspire our customers to consume consciously and to keep improving." - Karim Choukair

In the future we will develop this idea even further, we want to:

• further reduce our CO2 emissions per product
• completely avoid the use of plastic
• and switch our collections entirely to vegetable tanning

In addition, all our shipping boxes are now made of recycled cardboard, which reduces material waste. By the way, don't hesitate to continue the sustainability chain by using our boxes to ship your own packages or to store personal items.

Finally, we also want to reduce our customers' waste, so in some of our models, the paper inside the shoe, which keeps the shoe in shape during transport, is placed in a reusable linen bag. This is to prevent the paper from being thrown away unnecessarily, so that it can be put back into the shoes when not in use, if there is no shoe tree.

We realize that these are only small steps, but little by little we strive to make our products a little more sustainable every day.