Buy Less, Buy Better: So, Here's Some New VYN in Old Bottle

As you embarked on this journey of entrepreneurship, what were the learnings as a professional that you could apply, and what were the challenges that you faced?
Both our expertise and knowledge were mainly with creating and designing products. With this in mind, the design and creation of the product was the part we knew from all the products we created and designed for brands. VYN came of course with its challenges of creating something completely new, and we were lucky to be able to work with a great product developer in Italy who helped us find all the connections with the sole maker, a sneaker factory and ran all development for us to create the first prototypes.

With development came also cost and that was something we did not have that much exposure to in previous roles. We quickly had to learn and adapt to make sure the budget would be allocated properly and that we created the prototypes in time and budget. All of this was controlled by us, but the hardest part came when COVID-19 hit and no one could have foreseen what happened.

In May 2020, we decided to push the button and start production on the first 500 pairs of VYN sneakers without knowing what would follow the next 24 months. Catherine created a series of great pre-sale events in small groups where she pre-sold 200 pairs from one sample pair in size 42 within six months. This pre-sale window almost paid for the first 500 pairs. In November 2020, we finally received and had by then delivered 230 pairs of pre-sold VYN ONE Editions, still in person, to our community with three events in Basel. This was a real highlight. But then came the most challenging eight months of our journey so far without money, nor a digital sales strategy. We were burnt out and in January we lost our product developer in Italy to cancer. A real low point.

With complete lockdowns and no events, we were blocked and didn’t sell many pairs over the next six months. Neither of us are digital natives and, therefore, we lacked the skills to create a big enough digital footprint to give us any momentum. Luckily, we were part of an impact-driven Incubator at Impacthub Basel that taught us the skills on how to get through the drought and help build the business. It gave us access to skills and mentors that helped us understand the business side of a sneaker brand more than just creating a product. We also developed more and more to find our vision and mission statement. Building a company is so much more than just a product, and idea, some sales channels and partnerships. Everything comes together gradually and what you do everyday matters to what the idea becomes and how that vision develops, grows and flourishes.

How did you overcome the challenges?
Most we didn’t overcome, but we took it one step at a time in the direction we thought was right for us as founders and people and get closer to that vision. I think we took so many long roads over time that taught us many lessons. Our biggest loss was losing our production manager in Italy to cancer. He was not only the glue that held everything together in Italy, but also became a dear friend and believer in our mission to change the footwear industry. This was an extreme situation to be in, losing a friend and person who is so integral to the business at the start itself. Luckily, we could count on our network and rebuilt new trusted partnerships. The only certainty in life is change and that comes with challenges big and small every day. We believe in a step-by-step approach to assess, decide and move forward. It is really the only thing we can do.

What makes a VYN sneaker different from the rest?
VYN is breaking boundaries for the better. Imagine you have only one choice of footwear—the one that will end up in the bin. That is where we are right now. VYN changes that through its eco-innovation of replaceable parts that triples our sneakers’ lifespan.

VYN offers the highest quality, comfortable and contemporary premium sneakers with a unique eco-innovation. The most vulnerable parts of sneakers (heel piece and heel counter) are engineered and constructed to become replaceable by the owners themselves. This allows for a longer lifespan, but also becomes a colourful style feature. The interplay of longevity and personalisation creates a value shift that follows the belief of the founders in buying less but better.

Margin-driven linear growth models are coming under scrutiny by not adapting to socio-economic and planetary boundaries. Sneakers are no exception. Resources are limited and 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced yearly and 90% end up in landfills every year due to their short lifespan. That equates to a volume of 36,000 airplanes being discarded in landfill every year.

VYN has designed the first sneakers of its kind by incorporating all aspects of the sneakers’ use cycle from manufacturing through to end of use—in essence creating a circular care system that takes responsibility within three pillars: Creation - Use - End of use.

How did you work out the supply chain for your line? How do you ensure that your supply chain is green and not just a trail of papers as is being feared of late?
We are currently working with Positive Luxury to get the Butterfly Mark through their ESG+ assessment. We are in contact with all our key suppliers and will make them sign a code of conduct form so we can ensure they adhere to our standards. We are sourcing everything in Europe and have therefore more stringent regulations already in place. We currently have 25 components and materials in our trainers and therefore have still a lot of work to do to certify each piece as well as the companies producing them.

Detachables in any product usually come with their set of problems, especially after some time has elapsed. How does Vyn deal with that? Plus, making detachables needs a special kind of engineering. Could you elaborate on that and how you went about getting the best crafts people to do the job for you?
When we presented the idea the first time to the sole makers with a 3D printed model there were a lot of question marks. Our team in Italy developed the final solution with their expertise and after an 8-month testing in the field we were happy to go ahead and produce the moulds. We then later on tested the mechanism at SATRA technologies in Kettering in the UK via Pedatron. The Pedatron test is a mechanical foot we tested 150,000 steps which gave us very good results. The heel piece can be used for 80-100km and the sole unit 500-600km. This means we tested as good to very good overall.

Everyone has a pair of sneakers they love and don’t want to dispose of. That is where VYN offers a unique proposition with the right to personalise and renew your sneakers yourself.

VYN gives a first glimpse into the future of creating non-seasonal innovation-led smart products. We are pioneers in creating a shift in mindset with an everyday product that everyone can relate to.

How did you go about deciding on and building your retail strategy?
We are taking new routes to the market by creating physical touch points in partner stores. We want to own all our stock and work with Points of Sales and Trial (POST) in stores for customers to physically experience our sneakers. All orders are facilitated directly through our website with a QR code that allows for a provision on each sale in the store.

We invest into digital DTC (healthy margin, sharper data points, efficient service-driven response, and increased lifetime customer value) and use POST for physical brand positioning, marketing and testing. With every data point that we collect, we are in a better position to add value to the VYN owner’s journey.

We currently have customer data from 400 VYN owners that will build the foundation of our digital marketing strategy and will be the start of our planned growth. The VYN journey creates opportunities for multiple purchases (new sneakers, heel sets, insoles, laces) but also for service driven value (re-soling, restoring, and disassembly).

Pop-ups within internal formats of large retailers opens physical awareness. In Fall 2021, we started a very successful partnership with the world-renowned menswear store Trunk in Zürich that positioned VYN directly in front of our target audience. We are now in discussions with Trunk/Monocle to expand our partnership to their London stores. We are also in talks with larger retail partners—Bongénie Grieder and Jelmoli in Zürich, and Selfridges in London—to be part of their sustainability initiatives in the form of a pop-up in 2022, further bolstering our credibility while funnelling new customers through the physical gateway. 

In the future we would love for our customers to wear their sneakers for longer and want to create a blockchain-based loyalty programme that will allow VYN owners to collect VYN points with every year the sneakers are worn and every renew and care service they use. This will give us a better understanding of their habits and allow us more opportunity to present them with the right services to support their journey.

VYN offers a unique opportunity to create a mindset shift with an everyday product we all love—our sneakers. They become a part of our lives and we all have a close relationship with what we wear and how we feel when we wear our loved items. We recognise that touch, feel and smell of an object are extremely important as is the convenience to order from where you are with a click. Our growth strategy therefore is combining the vital need for physical touch points with the speed and comfort of the digital channels.

Our investment will go into digital marketing to generate direct-to-consumer sales. Over the next two years, the VYN website will become one of the main sales channels. All our other sales activities will feed into the website and a central warehouse.

The other strategy includes events. Talking to customers is key to getting better knowledge of our audience and sell in curated settings with like-minded partners. VYN is best suited at partner events that are themed around circularity and sustainability. We will scale our events to bigger stages that will allow us to reach more people with our vision to change the footwear industry.

How many pairs of VYN have been sold so far? What are the complaints you may have received this far and what the returns, if any? What were the reason/s given?
Over the last 12 months VYN has sold 400 pairs of a first production of 500. The first 200 were pre-sold during sales events supported by press and radio stations as well as numerous design prize nominations like Eco-design Germany / Design Preis Schweiz / Goldener Hase. In pre-sale, we sold 200 pairs with only one prototype in a size 42 and a size chart but only had (1%) return rate for size which gives us confidence that our sizing is true to size. We started a partnership with the world-renowned menswear store Trunk in Zürich where we already outperform their internal sneaker brand. At the design fair Blickfang in autumn 2021, we won the design prize for best brand in accessories. In December, we participated in the Monocle/Trunk Christmas market where the founder of Monocle, Tyler Brûlé, introduced VYN and interviewed Catherine in his Sunday morning radio show. We also continue exclusive events with dedicated partners such as the bio-certified winery KLUS177 which was a great success both in sales and networking.

We have a very low return rate on sizing and on the product. We have received a lot of praise from VYN owners that really like the product and want to actively help promote the brand and volunteering their ambassador ship.

Premium is luxury. Do you plan to scale up production?
We plan to only produce what we can sell so start small and do some pre-order windows with special offers that you can’t get otherwise. The same thing goes for colour and materials options. We plan to do more materials and colours but also want to create some unique collaborations. These can be with charities to create special personalisation pieces and some of the revenue goes to charity (Movember, breastcancer UK) or it can be design or brand led to create some unique colour combinations and designer pieces that are unique.

Do you think leather is a much misunderstood material? Any plans to use the newfangled ones, those made out of hemp or pineapple or any other such material?
Currently, we have not found any other material that would be a better fit for our product. Leather is an amazing material that outperforms a lot of the man-made materials in terms of touch, smell, absorption, robustness and comfort. We have great partnerships with our tanneries and make sure we know and trace where our leather comes from and how it is treated. There is a big impact from leather of course but we will start working with Recircled to disassemble our sneakers at the end of life and put the materials back in the material streams although down cycled.

On the other hand, I am a big believer in lower impact materials, and I am looking forward to see what companies like Natural Fiber Welding are coming up with in the next years. Mirium is certainly one of the best bio-materials currently on the market.