Many of you may not know this, but Zèta is only two years old.
These past two years have brought us incredible experiences as well as a few setbacks: here is a look back at our 2022.
There is what we show you, especially on social media, and then there are all the day-to-day adventures we experience as a brand.
The year 2022 saw production delays due to raw material shortages, leading to frequent stockouts (and a few stressful moments!).
The apparent lack of resources and inflation increased the cost of raw materials and shipping. To stay afloat, we were forced to raise our retail prices. While this six-euro increase was warmly understood and accepted by most of you, we know that for some, it may represent a barrier to purchasing sustainable fashion.
Last autumn, after several months of research and an initial prototype, the brand we were supposed to collaborate with this coming September announced that the project was cancelled due to financial reasons. No time for disappointment: we had to bounce back quickly and find our next collaboration partner.
And fortunately, memory tends to brush aside daily struggles, leaving only the best: the great moments.
In May, after months of keeping the project under wraps, we unveiled our collaboration with Nespresso to create our RE:GROUND collection. Following months of work alongside Nespresso's Swiss teams, we took on the utterly wild challenge of developing the very first vegan material from coffee. This partnership opened doors to unexplored markets, and we fulfilled our first shipments to Hungary, Estonia, and Sweden!
In November, we launched our first pop-up store: a 200m² space right in the heart of Bordeaux.
This first physical retail experience allowed us to connect with our community (4,000 of you came to visit us!), raise further awareness of environmental issues through our workshops and talks, and above all, gave us the ambition to open our own boutique. Challenge set for the next five years!
On the team front, in 2022, Camille and then Louis joined us full-time, along with Andrea, Emilie, and Matis on work-study placements. While Laure started out on her own in 2020, we are now a team of six passionate individuals determined to shake up the sneaker industry.
Finally, we achieved a second profitable year with seven-figure turnover. Our financial independence allows us to reinvest our cash flow into developing innovative new products and creating jobs!
What is on the agenda for 2023?
New styles featuring bolder or high-top designs, and the launch of a children's collection. You can also take part in their design right here.
New collaborations that are ever more surprising and purposeful.
New offices, right in the heart of Bordeaux, allowing the Zèta team to grow.
Continuous reflection to keep reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible, notably through the rollout of bicycle delivery in selected major cities and recycling our old trainers into new products.
We learn, improve, and reinvent ourselves month after month.
Without you, Zèta would not exist. Thank you for being part of the adventure and for your support over the past two years.
Bring on 2023!
