FOR BUILDING A DIRECT-TOCONSUMER BRAND THAT STANDS APART

If you’ve passed through an airport

recently, there’s a strong chance you’ve spotted at least one woman sporting a pair of distinctive-looking ballet flats in a stretchy woven fabric. In 2016, San Francisco–based Rothy’s debuted its signature flats, which are made from recycled water bottles and manufactured using an efficient, 3D-knitting technique. By 2018, the brand had gone viral, selling a million pairs and generating $140 million in revenue. In 2019, it surpassed 1.4 million customers—a 105% increase from the year prior. What’s more, Rothy’s has been profitable from the start. The company’s 250,000-square-foot production facility in China allows it to make products in direct response to customer demand: San Francisco–based designers can create a shoe, have it prototyped within a day, and bring it to market within two weeks. “Our intellectual property includes everything from manufacturing efficiencies to developing new machinery to materials,” says cofounder, chief creative officer, and CEO Roth Martin, citing the company’s 85 active or filed patents. That level of control enabled it to diversify last year, producing loafers, sneakers, a Chelsea boot, and several styles made with merino wool (blended with recycled plastic fibers) for cooler weather. (Prices start at $55 for kids and $125 for adults.) Collaborations with Italian designer Marta Ferri and children’s illustrator Pete Oswald also allowed Rothy’s to introduce more whimsical limited-edition designs and silhouettes. “We have this incredible muscle of innovation in our [production] facilities,” says Martin. “And now we’re flexing it.”