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Rothy's
Company typeLimited company
IndustryRetail
FoundedSan Francisco, California, U.S. (2012 (2012))
FounderRoth Martin (Chief Executive Officer), and Stephen Hawthornthwaite
Headquarters
San Francisco
,
California, U.S.
Number of locations
4
Area served
United States, China
ProductsFootwear
Number of employees
Increase 520
Websiterothys.com

Rothy’s is a San Francisco-based direct-to-consumer fashion company founded in 2012 by Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin and launched in 2016. It began as a shoe company in San Francisco, and they branched out into making handbags in 2020, and have opened further stores in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York City. Rothy's items are made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles and post-consumer recycled materials.[1] As of 2020, the company had repurposed 50 million water bottles in the making of their products.[2]

As of April 2018 the six officers running the company were all women, and out of the 30 running the San Francisco office, only 9 were men.[3]

History

The company began in 2012 with Stephen Hawthornthwaite, an investment banker, and Roth Martin, a creative. Their goal was to create a stylish and comfortable women’s flat shoe, reducing the excess that occurs with a traditional shoe making process.[4] There was significant delay between the founding of the company and the launch due to the complexity of making the product. He states that he drew inspiration from companies like Patagonia in making shoes using sustainable materials.[5]

In December 2015, Rothy's briefly went to market vut quickly stopped taking orders for six months.[6] In Summer 2016, Rothy's resumed marketing, offering its first two styles, The Flat and The Point, from its website. In January 2017, Rothy’s opened its own 65,000 square foot factory in Guangzhou, China[7][8][9] with nine employees,[6] which grew to 100 by August 2017.[10]

As of April 2019, Rothy's had 70 employees in the US and 450 in China.[7][11][12] Investors in the company include Goldman Sachs and Lightspeed Venture Partners,[11] who have invested $35 million and $5 million respectively,[6] and $2 million in convertible notes from Finn Capital Partners, M13 and Grace Beauty Capital.[13]

In 2018, Rothy's experienced a 350% compounded growth rate with over $140 million in sales, selling over 1 million pairs of shoes.[7] Rothy’s opened their first brick-and-mortar store in San Francisco in May 2018. As of March 2020, they also have stores in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York City.[14][15]

Due to competitors copying the design and selling the shoes for cheaper prices, the company has made a significant effort to protect the brand from counterfeits and imitators. As of March 2019, 31 patents had been issued, with some 40 cases pending.[5]

In March 2020 the company announced the launch of their handbag range.[16] At the time the company stated that they had repurposed 50 million plastic bottles in the making of their products.[2]

Design and Product

Rothy's make a number of shoe silhouettes, including The Flat, The Point, The Loafer, The Sneaker, and The Chelsea. As of December 2018 there were some 60 possible combinations of color and style.[17]

Rothy's products are made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles and post-consumer recycled materials.[18] During the manufacturing process, the water bottles are hot washed and sterilized. Chips of plastic are melted down into pellets, stretched into fibers, and given air treatment until they entwine. The soft yarn produced is then loaded onto knitting machines which knit the upper part of the shoe in 14 to 24 minutes, depending on the design. They are then sewn to the sole by hand, paired with recycled foam and recycled rubber soles. According to Business of Fashion Rothy's range caters to women looking for an alternative to sneakers or ballet shoes. The Point is the best-selling of the flats, retailed at $145.[11] Business Insider states that the shoes are very light and flexible with no hard seams or edges, and also notes that they are moisture-wicking, so function throughout the year with sweat or in the rain.[18] The shoes are machine washable and can be air dried in 40 minutes.[12]

The company has also ventured into the children's market,[19] launching a children's version of the brand’s popular loafer silhouette in 2018 and slip-on sneakers for kids in March 2019.[11][20] The sneakers come in both solids and unisex prints.[21]

On March 2, 2020 the company announced the launch of handbags made from recycled plastic from the ocean. The new handbags are sold in seven different styles and five silhouettes, the Essential Tote, the Handbag, the Dual-Zip Crossbody, the Essential Pouch, and The Catchall and are priced from $65 to $350.[16][22]

Reception

The shoes have been well-received by fashion critics, particularly for their comfortability and durability.[23] Robin Hilmantel of Women's Health described the shoes as "comfortable as they are chic".[24] Kavita Varma-White of Today described Rothy's as the "perfect travel shoe".[25] Megan O'Neill of Parade noted a new trend among celebrities, in that many are now favoring flats over heels.[26] Meghan Markle wore Rothy’s in October 2018 while on a visit to Australia with Prince Harry.[27][28] In 2019, Rothy's was recognized as one of the "100 Best Inventions of 2019" by Time.[29] Rothy's was also included in Fast Company's list of "The 10 most innovative style companies of 2020".[30]

References

  1. ^ Chen, Connie (12 March 2019). "Women in New York City and San Francisco are obsessed with these comfortable flats made from recycled water bottles — here's what they feel like". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Eco-friendly shoes that are as comfortable as they are sustainable". CNN. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. ^ Holmes, Elizabeth (25 March 2019). "Meet the All-Female Executive Team Behind Cult-Favorite Shoe Brand Rothy's". Marie Claire. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  4. ^ "With an Eco-Friendly Sneaker, Rothy's Treads on New Ground". WIRED. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b "How Two Shoe Outsiders Are Making Rothy's One of the Most Talked-About New Footwear Brands". Footwear News. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Instagram-Popular Shoemaker Rothy's Expected to Post $140 Million in Revenue". Bloomberg Businessweek. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "The Evolution of Rothy's". WWD. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  8. ^ Fernandez, Chantal (4 February 2019). "How Shoes Became Venture Capital's Favourite Accessory". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  9. ^ Segran, Elizabeth (26 July 2018). "Rothy's, the viral Silicon Valley shoe brand, is coming for your kids". Fast Company. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Rothy's, whose ballet flats are all over Facebook and Pinterest, has raised $7 million in funding – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d Fernandez, Chantal (4 February 2019). "How Shoes Became Venture Capital's Favourite Accessory". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  12. ^ a b Segran, Elizabeth (26 July 2018). "Rothy's, the viral Silicon Valley shoe brand, is coming for your kids". Fast Company. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  13. ^ Loizos, Connie (January 2019). "Rothy's just landed $35 million from Goldman Sachs to sell more of its popular ballet flats". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  14. ^ "Look Inside the New Rothy's Store in Georgetown". Washingtonian. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Instagram fan favorite Rothy's opening 5 stores". Bizjournals.com. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  16. ^ a b Business, Parija Kavilanz, CNN. "Rothy's has new idea for ocean plastic waste: handbags". CNN. Retrieved 3 April 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Instagram-Popular Shoemaker Rothy's Expected to Post $140 Million in Revenue". Bloomberg Businessweek. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  18. ^ a b Chen, Connie (12 March 2019). "Women in New York City and San Francisco are obsessed with these comfortable flats made from recycled water bottles — here's what they feel like". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Your Favorite Instagram Cult Flats Brand, Rothy's, Now Has Kids Shoes | Parents". Parents. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  20. ^ "No, shoes for kids don't have to be low-quality crap". Fast Company. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  21. ^ Hubbard, Lauren (12 March 2019). "Meghan Markle's Favorite Shoe Brand, Rothy's, Just Launched a Line of Sneakers for Kids". Town & Country. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Rothy's Debuts Stunning, Sustainable Bags Made of Ocean-Bound Plastic". Marie Claire. 3 March 2020.
  23. ^ Yaeger, Lynn (17 August 2016). "The Most Environmentally Friendly Shoes on the Planet Also Happen to Be the Cutest". Vogue. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  24. ^ "OMG Meghan Markle Is A Fan Of Rothy's Just Like Me". Women's Health. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  25. ^ Varma-White, Kavita (18 October 2018). "I've found the perfect travel shoe (and Meghan Markle wears the brand, too)". Today. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  26. ^ O'Neill, Megan (29 March 2019). "A-Listers Are Trading in Heels for Flats—5 Celeb-Approved Spring Shoes We Love". Parade. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  27. ^ "Meghan Markle Just Wore The Best Comfy Flats On Her Royal Tour". Women's Health. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  28. ^ "Meghan Markle's LBD and Classic Black Flats Are Both Still Available (and Surprisingly Affordable)". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Recycled Shoes". Time.
  30. ^ Company, Fast (3 March 2020). "The 10 most innovative style companies of 2020". Fast Company. Retrieved 9 April 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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