Many of you may not know this, but Zèta is only two years old.
These last two years have brought us incredible experiences as well as a few disappointments: a recap of our 2022.
There is what we show you, particularly through social media, and then there are all the adventures we experience on a daily basis as a brand.
The year 2022 was marked by production delays, linked to a shortage of raw materials, which led to frequent stock shortages (and a few stressful moments!).
The obvious lack of resources and inflation have driven up the cost of raw materials and transport. To survive, we found ourselves compelled to increase our prices. Although this six-euro increase was very well received by the majority of you, we know that for some, it can be a barrier to purchasing responsible fashion.
Last autumn, after several months of research and a first prototype, the brand with which we were due to collaborate the following September announced that the project had fallen through for financial reasons. No time for disappointment — we had to bounce back quickly and find the next brand to collaborate with.
And then, thankfully, memory tends to obscure the daily challenges and leave only the rest: the good moments.
In May, after months of keeping this project secret, we unveiled our collaboration with Nespresso for the creation of our RE:GROUND collection. After months of work with the Swiss teams at Nespresso, we rose to the completely wild challenge of developing the first vegan material made from coffee. This collaboration opened us up to previously unexplored markets, and we made our first shipments to Hungary, Estonia and Sweden!
In November, we launched our first pop-up: a 200m² space in the very heart of Bordeaux.
This first physical retail experience allowed us to meet our community (4,000 of you came to see us!), raise your awareness even further about environmental issues through our workshops & talks, but above all gave us the desire to open our own shop. Challenge accepted — within five years!
On the team side, in 2022, Camille and then Louis joined us full-time simultaneously, along with Andrea, Emilie and Matis on work-study placements. While Laure started out alone in 2020, we are now a team of six incredibly passionate people, firmly determined to shake up the sneaker industry.
Finally, we are completing a second profitable year with a seven-figure turnover. Our financial independence allows us to reinvest our cash flow in the development of innovative new products and in job creation!
What's in store for 2023?
New styles, with a bolder or higher-cut design, and the arrival of a children's collection. You can also take part in their creation right here.
New collaborations, ever more surprising and committed.
New offices, in the very heart of Bordeaux, to give the Zèta team room to grow.
Moments of reflection, to continue reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible, including the roll-out of bicycle delivery in certain major cities and the recycling of our old trainers into new products.
We learn, we improve and we reinvent ourselves month after month.
Without you, Zèta does not exist. Thank you for being part of the adventure and for being with us for two years now.
Roll on 2023!
