Rothy's Shoes aims to "transform eco-friendly materials into stylish products that you can wear at any time". This eco-friendly brand uses recycled plastic bottles to make its shoes. This practice has helped prevent 39 million plastic bottles from ending up in landfills. They also use vegan, recycled and carbon-free rubber, TPU and recycled foam rubber for the soles and vegan adhesives. "In keeping with our goal to be zero waste, we've combined the best of 3D weaving technology with hand assembly to create our own style. Each pair costs between $125 and $145 and are produced using a three-dimensional knitting technique that uses a total of three recycled plastic bottles for each pair of shoes. Not only is the composition amazing, but the process generates almost no waste. The soles consist of two recyclable foam insoles and a rubber sole.
With the firm belief that the future of fashion is circular, Rothy’s has developed its own signature thread made from single-use bottles. So far, the brand has transformed over 125,000 plastic bottles into its own thread, collected from land with over 30,000 miles of coastline.
Striving towards a 100% zero-waste factory, Rothy’s has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Dongguan, China, which abides by the highest ethical and environmental standards. The factory has acquired TRUE, LEED green building certifications and continues to improve its renewable energy use. Combining the use of responsibly-sourced materials plus 3D printing to save on cutting excess fabrics, Rothy’s has proven to be one of the most sustainable shoe brands on the market.
Rothy's a Receives Strategic Investment from Brazil's Alpargatas
Alpargatas SA, the Brazilian owner of the Havaianas flip-flop brand, announced that it is making a strategic investment in Rothy's, Inc, a San Francisco-based brand specialising in recycled footwear, in a two-step transaction that will ultimately raise the Californian company's valuation to $1 billion. Alpargatas will make a $200 million primary equity investment, while the second step is an offer to acquire approximately $275 million in Rothy's shares from existing shareholders.
Once the transaction is completed, Alpargatas will own 49.9% of Rothy's and will have a call option to acquire the additional shares of the Californian company from the selling shareholders between the first and fourth anniversary of the deal.
Having established a growing customer base in the US, Rothy's hopes to use the Alpargatas investment to drive the acceleration of its brand and retail expansion strategy. This includes plans for international expansion, with the brand currently pursuing opportunities in Asia, Europe and Brazil. Rothy's, which produces its shoes in a dedicated 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Dongguan, China, also intends to use the funds to grow its factory operations.