First Look: Ethically-sourced footwear brand Freedom Moses opens its first U.S. pop-up

A footwear brand best known for its genderless and sustainable slides for adults and kids has opened up shop temporarily in New York City.

Freedom Moses unveiled a pop-up in Manhattan’s West Village, at 395 Bleecker Street. The ethically-sourced, Israel-based “chill lifestyle” brand opened the store in partnership with Leap, which helps brands make the jump into physical retail. The company offers a full-service platform that covers the entire life cycle of a brand’s brick-and-mortar venture, including staffing, store design, tech integration and day-to-day operations. It also owns the leases for the stores.

Open through September, the 550-sq.-ft. Freedom Moses pop-up has a self-service shopping model, with more than 1,300 pairs of slides lining the walls in a kaleidoscope of bright colors (the brand currently boasts over 140 different colorways). Prices start at $45.

The slides are curated within a new-to-market architectural and sustainable cardboard system that allows customers to easily select items.  All the slides are placed on the walls in a ‘Namaste’ hanging position to maximize the store’s small space and create the most seamless shopping experience for consumers. (The company worked with Hilla Bar and Omri Revesz to curate self-service and sustainable design.) 

Freedom Moses slides and accessories are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. (The slides, which are also waterproof and washable, are made from a durable and flexible PVC material in a single mold and designed to be lightweight and supportive.

The brand is the brainchild of Paris-born designer Sarah Gurt, who imagined the Biblical character Moses wearing colorful slides.

“Our mission is to promote a chill lifestyle while not harming Mama Earth,” the brand says on its website. “We believe in our products and care about the people that produce them. When you buy Freedom Moses we can guarantee that we take responsibility by confirming on a regular basis that the factories we work with are audited and approved, offer fair wages and safe working conditions.”