Tkees
Tkees is a Fort Lauderdale-based direct-to-consumer brand selling handcrafted Brazilian leather sandals — anchored by the signature Lily flip-flop and nude color palette — plus expanding apparel lines, served globally through tkees.com with celebrity-driven brand positioning.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersFort Lauderdale, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Tkees does
Tkees is a direct-to-consumer footwear and apparel brand headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 2009 by Jesse and Carly Burnett. The company designs and sells handcrafted Brazilian leather sandals — anchored by the signature Lily flip-flop family and its proprietary nude color system (Cocobutter, Nude Beach, Sunkissed) — alongside ballet flats (Reese), slides, waterproof Aqua styles, kids footwear, and a recently expanded apparel line (CloudSoft, Sunday Set, Le Simple) priced up to $335. Distribution is exclusively through tkees.com, shipping to 100+ countries with multi-currency checkout, free shipping above $100, and a 30-day return policy; the brand claims 2,000,000+ customers and selectively uses co-branded collaborations with J.Crew, Petite Plume, and Eden Rock St. Barths to extend reach. Celebrity placements on Jennifer Lopez and Kylie Jenner, alongside the nude-colorway specialization, form the core of brand positioning as elevated everyday essentials for women.
Tkees firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tkees
- Legal name
- Tkees
- Website
- https://tkees.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tkees is a Fort Lauderdale-based direct-to-consumer brand selling handcrafted Brazilian leather sandals — anchored by the signature Lily flip-flop and nude color palette — plus expanding apparel lines, served globally through tkees.com with celebrity-driven brand positioning.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tkees industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Women's Leather Footwear
- NAICS
- Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Manufacturing (3162)
- SIC
- Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual & Lifestyle Footwear Retail (CRAAADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)
Keywords
Where Tkees is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Lauderdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Tkees business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: One-time product sales through owned e-commerce channel. Consumers purchase footwear (flip flops, sandals, slides) and clothing directly from tkees.com. Products are priced at point of sale with no recurring subscription component.
- Gift Cards: Gift card sales provide additional revenue stream and customer acquisition mechanism, allowing recipients to purchase products on the e-commerce platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Footwear - Entry tier (Flip Flops) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Footwear - Mid tier (Premium Sandals) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Footwear - Premium tier (Luxury) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clothing - Basics |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clothing - Premium |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Tkees product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tkees designs, brands, and sells handcrafted Brazilian napa leather footwear and apparel directly to consumers through its own e-commerce site at tkees.com. The assortment is anchored by its signature Lily flip-flop family and includes sandals, ballet flats, sneakers, slides, a Kids line, and casual clothing collections (CloudSoft, Sunday Set, Le Simple). The company operates one direct-to-consumer online store and does not rely on third-party retail for primary distribution.
Product overview
Tkees is a footwear and clothing brand offering a focused portfolio of handcrafted Brazilian leather products. The core offering centers on the Lily flip flop family with numerous variations (Nudes, Liners, Metallics, Pigments, Glosses, Glitters, Braid, Platforms, Square Toe versions) as the signature product line, complemented by other footwear styles including sandals (Riley, Gemma, Jo, Mia Napa, Colette, Julia, Mariana, Sarit, Square Toe Twiggy, Square Toe Millie), ballet flats (Reese), and slides (Serena). The brand has expanded into clothing through the CloudSoft collection featuring sweatshirts, hoodies, joggers, and shorts. Tkees also operates collaborative collections including partnerships with Petite Plume and J.Crew, plus specialty lines like the waterproof Aqua collection and a Kids footwear line. Products are handcrafted in Brazil with buttery-soft leather, retailing from $55-$175 for footwear and $55-$335 for clothing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lily Nudes: Collection of nude-toned variations of the classic Lily flip-flop style
- Aqua
- Reese
- CloudSoft
- Sunday Set
- Le Simple
Products and services
- Lily Flip-Flop (signature line) The flagship Tkees silhouette: a handcrafted Brazilian napa leather thong flip-flop with a cushioned interior and proprietary Signature Nude Color System. Sold to women as an everyday, beach-to-street leather sandal.
- Reese Ballet Flat A handcrafted napa leather ballet flat for women, designed for casual everyday wear.
- Riley Strappy Sandal A women's strappy leather sandal built using Tkees' handcrafted Brazilian leather and Signature Nude palette.
- Gemma Sandal A women's leather sandal in Tkees' signature handcrafted Brazilian napa leather and nude palette.
- Jo Sandal A women's leather sandal made by Tkees in handcrafted Brazilian napa leather.
- Mia Napa Sandal A premium women's sandal produced in Tkees' top-tier napa leather, sold through tkees.com in the Signature Nude Color System.
- Colette Sandal A premium women's leather sandal in Tkees' handcrafted Brazilian napa leather construction.
- Julia Heel Flip-Flop A women's heeled leather flip-flop from the Lily family, designed as a dressier sandal option for evening and events.
- TKEES Kids Footwear A dedicated children's footwear line sold through tkees.com, mirroring the adult Lily / sandal silhouettes in smaller sizes.
- CloudSoft Apparel Collection A casual apparel collection from Tkees (tops, sets, and easywear pieces) sold directly through tkees.com, extending the brand into clothing beyond footwear.
- Signature Nude Color System A proprietary in-house color palette of nudes curated by Carly Burnett and applied across Tkees footwear, functioning as a brand-defining product differentiator.
- TKEES x Petite Plume Collaboration A co-branded collaboration collection between Tkees and Petite Plume, sold through tkees.com.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2,000,000 customers served
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Tkees
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tkees technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Tkees partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Petite PlumeflagshipStrategic brand collaboration launching Tkees x Petite Plume Lily Sandal collection. Three nautical-inspired styles (Navy/White, Ticking Stripe, Bold Stripe) priced at $95, released May 11, 2026 as part of Petite Plume's Yacht Club capsule. Handcrafted in Brazil leather flip-flops featuring Petite Plume heritage prints. Both brands share histories of intentional partnerships with notable fashion and hospitality names.
- J.CrewcoreOngoing brand collaboration featuring TKEES x J.Crew Sandal collection with multiple colorways (Snow White, Vintage Red, Dark Evening, Graffiti Green) priced at $95. Represents an established partnership between the two fashion brands.
- Eden Rock - St. BarthsminorLimited collaboration collection with luxury St. Barths resort Eden Rock. Represents brand extension into luxury hospitality and lifestyle partnerships.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tkees competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sam Edelman: Established American women's footwear brand offering sandals, flats, and casual styles at premium-but-accessible prices. Comparable assortment overlap with Tkees but with much broader wholesale and DTC distribution.
- Steve Madden: Large multi-channel footwear and apparel brand with extensive wholesale plus DTC. Overlaps with Tkees in fashion-forward women's sandals and flats, but at much larger scale and broader price points.
- Tory Burch: Premium American lifestyle brand with a major footwear category (sandals, flats, slides) and broad DTC + retail footprint. Overlaps with Tkees on elevated women's footwear and lifestyle positioning but at materially larger scale.
Direct peers
- Castañer: Spanish heritage maker of espadrilles and casual women's sandals with premium pricing and DTC presence. Comparable to Tkees on warm-weather handcrafted footwear with a brand-led, quality-focused positioning.
- Ancient Greek Sandals: Handcrafted leather sandals brand sold direct-to-consumer with premium positioning ($150-$300+). Most direct comparable to Tkees on craft, materials, and DTC-led distribution to fashion-forward women.
- Schutz: Brazilian-origin premium women's footwear brand emphasizing stylish sandals and flats. Comparable to Tkees on Brazilian leather heritage, fashion-forward styling, and women's premium casual footwear positioning.
- Loeffler Randall: Premium women's footwear and handbags brand with strong DTC channel. Overlaps with Tkees on elevated ballet flats, sandals, and slip-ins targeted to a similar affluent female customer.
- Soludos: Casual espadrille and sandal brand with DTC-first distribution and collaborations with fashion partners. Comparable positioning to Tkees in the warm-weather, casual-luxury women's footwear segment.
- Margaux: DTC-first premium women's footwear brand (ballet flats, sandals) focused on fit, comfort, and quality craftsmanship. Comparable to Tkees on premium DTC positioning and women's everyday luxury footwear.
Regional players
- Arezzo & Co: Brazilian footwear conglomerate operating multiple premium women's brands (Schutz, Anacapri, Alexandre Birman). Comparable to Tkees on Brazilian leather-craft heritage and women's premium footwear; primarily serves Brazil/Latin America.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tkees social profiles
Digital presenceTkees financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tkees leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Tkees funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tkees M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tkees
What does Tkees do?
Tkees designs, brands, and sells handcrafted Brazilian napa leather footwear and apparel directly to consumers through its own e-commerce site at tkees.com. The assortment is anchored by its signature Lily flip-flop family and includes sandals, ballet flats, sneakers, slides, a Kids line, and casual clothing collections (CloudSoft, Sunday Set, Le Simple). The company operates one direct-to-consumer online store and does not rely on third-party retail for primary distribution.
Is Tkees a public or private company?
Tkees is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Tkees founded?
Tkees was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tkees based?
Tkees is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tkees make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards.
Who are Tkees's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sam Edelman, Steve Madden and Tory Burch. Direct peers are Castañer, Ancient Greek Sandals, Schutz, Loeffler Randall, Soludos and Margaux. Arezzo & Co is listed as a regional player.
Does Tkees have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tkees.
What industry is Tkees in?
Tkees's product category is Women's Leather Footwear. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAADAB, Casual & Lifestyle Footwear Retail, with a secondary code of CRAAACAB, Casual & Lifestyle Footwear. Its NAICS code is 45821 and its SIC code is 5661.