The new status shoe is machine washable, made from recycled water bottles, and costs $145 a pair
Fans of the brand will never see more than a few styles from Rothy's, in keeping with the company's commitment to simple basics. "There aren't that many things a woman needs in her quiver," Martin said. "Whatever we do we want to do well."
There are no men's shoes in the pipeline, according to the cofounders, but new styles may eventually become available as Rothy's production capacity catches up with demand.
Rothy's has raised $7 million in venture funding to date, which will allow it to grow its team of about 20 employees in the US and make future innovations in manufacturing.
Such luxury doesn't come cheap. Rothy's round-toe shoe costs $125, while the pointy-toe version fetches $145. The high price tag is due in part to the cost of materials used.
Recycled plastics are more expensive to use than virgin materials because of the costs involved in sourcing, sterilizing, and transforming them into something totally new, Martin explained.
If the shoes start to stink, wearers can toss them in the washing machine for a rinse.
You won't find embellishments or even logos on these flats. A different-colored seam along the heel is the company's signature, in keeping with its clean and simple aesthetic.
For some women, an #OOTD (outfit of the day) isn't complete without their Rothy's.
Wearers share photos of their feet to Instagram with the hashtag "live seamlessly."
Part of the shoe's marketing magic has been its organic growth. The company only made its first marketing hire in January and previously relied on word-of-mouth and pop-up shops.
Rothy's would not disclose revenue numbers, but the cofounders said they struggle to keep up with demand. A wait list for the black pointy-toe flat racked up 20,000 people at its peak.
The company owns and operates a 65,000-square-foot factory in China that employs about 100 workers. Rothy's growth is somewhat limited by its modest production capacity. Because of the unusual way the shoes are made, the company cannot offload orders to other factories.
On the day of my visit to the company's headquarters, every female employee I saw wore a pair of Rothy's shoes. "I have completely drunk the Kool-Aid," one woman told me.
Rothy's launched its first shoes — available in pointy-toe and round-toe — in summer 2016. They have since diverted over five million plastic bottles from landfills to make shoes.
In six minutes, the three main parts of the shoe are complete. The human workers cobble them together on an assembly line before the shoes are shipped to the United States.
In a factory in southern China, workers feed these fibers into the 3D printing machine. The machine uses the fibers to create shoes that are the right fit, color, and pattern for whatever style the team is working on that day. Changing the style is as easy as updating software.
To make Rothy's shoes, the company buys plastic water bottles in bulk from recycling centers worldwide. The bottles are hot-washed for sterilization and chipped into flakes.
These flakes get shaped into little pellets that are heated and drawn into soft filaments of plastic. A blast of air at high pressure causes the threads to tangle and form fuller fibers.
The pair had the process figured out, but they still needed a material. That's when they discovered plastic water bottles and their devastating impact on the environment.
Over time, plastic water bottles break down into smaller fragments that suck up toxins from the environment and leak them back in the waterways and soil. It takes up to 1,000 years for a single water bottle to decompose, and Americans go through about 30 million bottles a year.
These recycled goods provided the perfect source material for Rothy's eco-friendly flats.
Rothy's uses 3D printers that basically knit a shoe around the shape of a foot.
Source: YouTube/Rothy's
The team wondered how they could make a fashionable shoe with virtually no waste. "That's what led us to knitting," Martin said. "You only use as much material as you need."
During four years of research, the pair learned there's a great deal of waste in traditional shoe manufacturing. Most shoes are made by cutting out patterns and stitching the pieces.
Rothy's flats are stylish and comfortable — and happen to be good for the planet.
In 2012, Stephen Hawthornwaite and Roth Martin left their jobs in finance and design to reinvent the flat — a stylish, but not so comfortable staple of many women's wardrobes.
They saw how women were dressing down — sporting athletic apparel outside the gym — and decided to take advantage of the shift. They set out to make a women's shoe for all occasions.
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