Saola

What Saola does

Saola is a privately held direct-to-consumer footwear company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Annecy, France, with a US operating entity (SAOLA USA) selling through saola.com. The company designs and sells sustainable casual sneakers for men and women at price points ranging from $83.95 to $139.95, constructed using knit technology with recycled and bio-sourced materials. Core product lines include CALI KNIT, CANNON, TSAVO, EZO, and BALI, with sub-collections for Slip-On, Waterproof, and Wool use cases, plus accessories. Each pair is marketed as weighing under 14oz on average and the brand partners with 1% for the Planet to commit 1% of sales to biodiversity conservation.

The business operates a pure DTC e-commerce model on Shopify, with distribution limited to the United States and Canada. Customer acquisition runs through a newsletter (10% first-order incentive), a Creators & Affiliate program, a Pro program for stylists and creatives, a customer Referral program, and organic social channels. Payments are processed via standard Shopify-integrated providers (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, major credit cards) and returns are handled through the Redo Returns Portal. The company operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees and raised approximately €2 million in 2023 from Bpifrance and HPF to accelerate development. There is no disclosed wholesale, retail, or B2B distribution, no mobile app, and no public AI or machine learning capability in the stack.

Saola's competitive positioning is built around three pillars: sustainability (recycled and bio-sourced materials, 1% for the Planet partnership), comfort (lightweight knit construction, all-day wear design), and accessibility (sub-$140 price points, frequent outlet promotions including up to 50% off during seasonal sales). The brand serves eco-conscious individual consumers in the casual sneaker category and competes in the sustainable footwear segment against larger incumbents, with growth contingent on scaling direct acquisition, expanding product breadth, and extending geographic reach beyond North America.

Name

Saola

Legal name

SAOLA USA

Website

https://saolashoes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saola is a privately held French-founded DTC footwear brand selling sustainable, lightweight knit sneakers for men and women through its own Shopify storefront in the US and Canada, built from recycled and bio-sourced materials and tied to a 1% for the Planet biodiversity partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Footwear

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Shoe Retailers (45821)

SIC

Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Footwear (CRAAACAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable footwear
• Eco-friendly sneakers
• Recycled material shoes
• Direct-to-consumer footwear
• Vegan sneakers

Headquarters

HQ city

Annecy

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: One-time purchase model for sustainable sneakers and footwear accessories sold directly to consumers through the company's e-commerce platform. Products include various collections for men and women at price points ranging from $83.95 to $139.95.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Saola designs and sells sustainable sneakers for men and women, manufactured with recycled and bio-sourced materials. The product portfolio includes knit-style (CALI KNIT), versatile (CANNON), bestselling men's (TSAVO), and women's (EZO, BALI) lines, plus slip-on, waterproof, and wool sub-collections. Products are sold directly to consumers through the company's own online storefront with price points ranging from $83.95 to $139.95.

Product overview

Saola is a direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear brand offering eco-designed sneakers for men and women. The product portfolio centers on lightweight, comfortable sneakers made from recycled and bio-sourced materials. The main product lines include CALI KNIT (knit-style), CANNON (versatile), TSAVO (bestselling men's), EZO (women's), and BALI (women's), with sub-collections in Slip On, Waterproof, and Wool styles. All products emphasize the brand's core mission of creating super light and comfy sneakers with minimal environmental footprint, weighing under 14oz per pair on average.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CALI KNIT Knit-style sustainable sneaker for men and women, crafted with eco-friendly materials featuring a breathable knit upper.
• CANNON Versatile sustainable sneaker available in knit 2.0 version for men, featuring lightweight construction and eco-materials.
• TSAVO Bestselling sustainable sneaker for men, available in version 3.0 with ultimate grey colorway, featuring recycled and natural materials.
• EZO Sustainable sneaker for women, featuring lightweight design with bio-sourced materials and multiple color options including white cashew.
• BALI Sustainable women's sneaker collection featuring eco-designed footwear with recycled and natural materials.
• Slip-On Collection Slip-on style sustainable sneakers for men and women, designed for easy wear with eco-friendly materials.
• Waterproof Collection Water-resistant sustainable footwear for men and women featuring waterproof technology while maintaining eco-friendly materials.
• Wool Collection Sustainable sneakers incorporating wool materials for enhanced comfort and natural temperature regulation.
• Accessories Sustainable accessory products including shoe care and complementary items for footwear.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sneakers weigh less than 14oz on average per pair
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 1% for the PlanetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaola partners with 1% for the Planet, an organization where member companies commit to donating 1% of annual sales to environmental causes. Through this partnership, every pair of Saola shoes helps protect biodiversity conservation efforts worldwide. This aligns with the company's sustainability mission and provides customers with tangible environmental impact from their purchases.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• On Running: On Running is a premium DTC-led athletic footwear brand with growing emphasis on recycled materials (Cyclon subscription). Comparable to Saola on DTC-first go-to-market and growing premium-eco overlap.
• Adidas: Adidas's Parx and Primegreen sustainable collections (including recycled Ultraboost and Stan Smith variants) bring incumbent scale and sustainability marketing to the same category Saola competes in.
• Nike: Nike is a global footwear incumbent whose Move to Zero sustainability initiative, recycled-material product lines (e.g., Space Hippie), and DTC ecosystem compete for the same eco-conscious sneaker consumer Saola targets.

Emerging players

• Rothy's: Rothy's makes shoes from recycled plastic bottles with a DTC model at premium price points. While it skews toward women's flats and loafers, it shares Saola's recycled-material sustainability narrative and digital-first distribution.
• Thousand Fell: Thousand Fell is a sustainable sneaker brand focused on recyclable materials and a closed-loop take-back program. Comparable to Saola on eco-materials mission and DTC model, though it has a circularity angle Saola does not emphasize.
• Oliver Cabell: Oliver Cabell is a DTC brand offering ethically produced sneakers at premium price points with transparent sourcing. It overlaps with Saola on ethical-production positioning and direct-to-consumer e-commerce distribution.
• Atoms: Atoms is a DTC sneaker brand offering minimalist, lightweight everyday sneakers with a subscription-friendly value proposition. It competes with Saola in the lightweight everyday sneaker category, though with less sustainability emphasis.

Direct peers

• Veja: Veja is a France-based sustainable sneaker brand using recycled plastics, organic cotton, and wild rubber. It overlaps directly with Saola on eco-materials mission, sneaker category, and accessible premium pricing.
• Allbirds: Allbirds is the leading direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear brand, offering wool, tree-fiber, and sugarcane-based sneakers for men and women at similar price points to Saola. It is the most directly comparable peer given overlapping product format, sustainability positioning, and DTC-first go-to-market.
• Cariuma: Cariuma is a DTC sustainable sneaker brand combining eco-materials (organic cotton, natural rubber, recycled plastics) with skate-inspired lifestyle positioning. It competes with Saola for the same eco-conscious casual sneaker buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saolashoes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saola