68 FASTCOMPANY.COM PHOTOGRAPH BY AKIRA KAWAHATAIf 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 mil-
lion 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 manu-
facturing efficiencies to developing new machinery
to materials,” says cofounder, chief creative officer,
and CEO Roth Martin, citing the company’s 85 ac-
tive or filed patents. That level of control enabled
it to diversify last year, producing loafers, sneak-
ers, 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.”FOR BUILDING
A DIRECT-TO-
CONSUMER
BRAND THAT
STANDS APART
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