Q&A

3 Questions with Jim Bartholet, CEO of Clae

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L.A.-based sneaker label Clae has been making chic, understated kicks since 2001, and their clean-lined takes on classic styles have earned them a loyal following. This month, Clae joined a host of other brands in the outdoor and athletic industry in the #StopHateforProfit campaign, pulling their ads from Facebook and Instagram in protest of what they call the sites’ indifference to hate speech and disinformation. Here, brand CEO Jim Bartholet sounds off on the global picture, sustainable materials and what he expects to see for the balance of the year.

1) Why did you choose to join #StopHateForProfit?

Advertising on Facebook, Inc. contradicts our brand values as Facebook, Inc. continues to ignore hateful rhetoric, abuse and misinformation. Even small, independent businesses like ours can withhold advertising dollars to demand that Facebook Inc. addresses racism and hateful content across its platforms, which served as an election tool in 2016 and will again this year. We need better standards and accountability from a company that earns so much revenue from Americans. We will likely have reduced sales due to not targeting new customers on one of our largest advertising platforms, [but] we are looking at other options as well as donating to Color of Change.

2) How has the shutdown affected your business and the 2020 outlook?

Since we operate globally, it’s been a mixed picture. Some areas, notably Europe and Australasia, have picked up well. We’re also proud to say that we’ve kept all staff during this period.

3) What trends are going to important for Clae in the back half of 2020 and into spring ’21?

We are working on more earth-friendly and technical materials, such as more vegan offerings, organic cotton, upcycled marine plastic, cactus leather and more.