Rothy's
San Francisco DTC footwear brand making seamless 3D-knit shoes from recycled plastic bottles in its own factory in China.
- Founded
- 2012
- Founder
- Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin
- Country
- United States
- Made In
- Dongguan, China (Rothy's-owned factory)
- Price Range
- Accessible
- Stance
- 6 / 10
- Coverage
- 0 products
Rothy's was founded in 2012 by Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin and launched online in 2016, after roughly four years of R&D spent developing a yarn made from recycled PET bottles and a 3D knitting process that builds shoe uppers to shape with virtually no cutting waste. The brand initially sold women's flats direct-to-consumer and has since expanded into men's footwear, sneakers, and bags. In December 2021, Brazilian footwear group Alpargatas — owner of Havaianas — took a 49.9% stake in Rothy's via a roughly $475 million transaction that valued the company at $1 billion; co-founders Hawthornthwaite and Martin retained equity and continued to run operations. Rothy's owns and operates a 300,000 sq ft factory in Dongguan, China, which is unusual for a DTC brand and gives the company tight control over materials and production.
Founded 2012 by Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin.
Return policy
30-day returns on unworn items in original condition, per Rothy's published policy.
Rothy's owns and operates a 300,000 sq ft vertically integrated factory in Dongguan, China, which produces every pair — uncommon for a DTC footwear brand. Design and color development happen at the San Francisco HQ; programming files are sent to Dongguan, where 3D knitting machines knit uppers to shape from recycled-PET yarn. Per the brand, no outside manufacturers touch the shoes.
Shoes are 3D-knit from yarn spun from recycled PET bottles in Rothy's owned factory in Dongguan, China; the brand reports LEED certification at the factory, carbon-neutral operations since 2021, and a shoe take-back/recycling program.
- 2012Founded by Stephen Hawthornthwaite & Roth MartinWikipedia; Rothy's company materials
- 2021Acquired by Alpargatas S.A. (49.9% minority stake) ($475M)PRNewswire 2021-12-20; Retail Dive; Footwear News
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