Roma Boots

What Roma Boots does

Roma Boots is a privately held, socially conscious fashion brand founded in 2010 by Samuel Bistrian, a Romanian immigrant and former Neiman Marcus executive. The company designs, markets, and distributes waterproof rain boots made from natural rubber with quick-dry knitted cotton lining and a multi-layer cushioned footbed, organized into four main women's collections (Chelsea, Emma, Epaga, AVA) plus a men's Ankle line and a newer unisex flip flop offering. Products retail between $64 and $159 USD and are sold through three channels: a Shopify-powered DTC storefront at romaboots.com, a wholesale network of independent boutique and gift-shop retailers across all 50 US states, and a Nordstrom partnership established in 2015.

The firm operates a buy-one-give-one model in which each retail pair sold results in a donated pair delivered to a child in need through the company's wholly owned 501c3 subsidiary, ROMA Foundation. Distribution partners include World Vision Canada, Buckner International, and GAiN (Global Aid Network), enabling large-scale humanitarian initiatives such as the 100,000-boot Ukraine campaign in 2022 and Texas flood relief. The marketing function relies heavily on the brand's mission narrative, earned media across Forbes, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Harvard's Social Innovation Forum, and social channels including Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, and Vimeo.

Operationally, Roma Boots is bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds) and is led by founder Samuel Bistrian as CEO. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with a returns/exchange support office in Leonard, Texas, and operates with an 11-50 person team. Revenue, unit volumes, and growth metrics are not publicly disclosed. Across its 14-year history, the brand has donated $10M+ worth of boots to children in 30+ countries, framing its commercial activity as inseparable from its philanthropic mission.

Name

Roma Boots

Legal name

Roma Boots

Website

https://romaboots.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roma Boots is a privately held Dallas-based fashion brand designing vegan, waterproof rain boots under a buy-one-give-one model, selling through DTC, indie wholesale, and Nordstrom while donating pairs to children in need globally via ROMA Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rain Boots & Fashion Footwear

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (42434)

SIC

Rubber & Plastics Footwear (3021), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)

akta.pro primary industry

Boot Manufacturing (Work/Fashion/Western/Combat) (IMAOAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Footwear (CRAAACAH)

Keywords

• Rain boots
• Waterproof footwear
• Women's boots
• Men's boots
• Flip flops

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Rain Boot Sales: One-time product sales of fashion rain boots. Core product line includes Chelsea, Ava, Epaga, and Emma boot collections for women and men. Products sold at regular and sale pricing with standard shipping over $75.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Roma Boots designs, manufactures, and sells fashion-forward waterproof rain boots and complementary footwear for women and men through its own Shopify e-commerce storefront and a U.S. wholesale boutique network. Product lines center on the Chelsea, Emma, and Epaga women's collections plus men's ankle boots, all built with natural rubber, quick-dry knitted cotton lining, and multi-layer cushioned footbeds priced $64–$159. Every purchase triggers a donation of a pair of boots to a child in need through the affiliated ROMA Foundation 501(c)(3) under the company's buy-one-give-one model.

Product overview

Roma Boots is a socially conscious fashion brand operating under a buy-one-give-one model that merges fashion with philanthropy. The product portfolio centers on rain boots for women and men, organized primarily into three women's collections: Chelsea (the flagship Chelsea silhouette with pull-on tabs), Emma (mid-height versatile designs), and Epaga (lace-up shorter boots). The Chelsea collection dominates with numerous color and pattern variants including croc emboss, leopard print, and floral patterns. Men's offerings include ankle-height boots in matte finishes. The company also extends into unisex flip flops and offers a Free Returns & Package Protection add-on service. All boots feature waterproof natural rubber construction with quick-dry cotton lining and multi-layer cushioned footbeds, priced from $64 to $159. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and was founded in 2010.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chelsea: Women's rain boot collection featuring the signature Chelsea boot style with various colors and patterns including croc emboss and matte finishes.
• AVA
• EPAGA
• EMMA

Products and services

• Chelsea Collection (Women's Rain Boots) Flagship women's rain boot line featuring the iconic Chelsea silhouette with pull-on tabs, available in multiple colors and patterns including croc emboss, leopard, and floral designs. Constructed with waterproof natural rubber and quick-dry cotton lining.
• Emma Collection (Mid-Height Women's Rain Boots) Mid-calf rain boot collection for women featuring versatile designs with natural rubber construction and quick-dry cotton lining, offered at accessible price points starting at $74.
• Epaga Collection (Women's Lace-Up Rain Boots) Lace-up style women's rain boot collection featuring a shorter shaft design with matte black finish, combining fashion-forward aesthetics with waterproof functionality at the $159 price point.
• Men's Ankle Rain Boots (Matte Black and Matte Brown) Men's ankle-height rain boots available in matte black and matte brown finishes, with waterproof natural rubber construction designed for comfort and all-weather protection, priced at $149 regular / $74.50 sale.
• Roma Unisex Flip Flops Unisex flip-flop footwear product line extending beyond the core rain-boot assortment, priced at $14-$29 on sale.

Quantifiable outcome

• $10 million worth of boots donated to children in 35+ countries over 14 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• World Vision CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner for large-scale boot distributions. World Vision Canada is one of ROMA's larger nonprofit partners used for major boot distribution events to reach children in need globally.
• Buckner InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner for boot distribution programs. Buckner International works with ROMA to distribute boots to children and families in poverty worldwide.
• GAiN (Global Aid Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner for international boot distributions. GAiN collaborates with ROMA for disaster relief and humanitarian aid boot distributions.
• ROMA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner501c3 charitable organization and nonprofit subsidiary of ROMA Provisions. ROMA Foundation was created to carry out ROMA's global mission of 'giving poverty the boot' through aid and education initiatives worldwide.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bogs: US-based waterproof boot brand competing in the same functional rain/outdoor boot category, with stronger wholesale penetration in farm, outdoor, and work channels.
• Bombas: Buy-one-give-one apparel brand (socks) with strong social mission branding and direct-to-consumer growth — comparable business model and customer demographic.
• Joules: British lifestyle brand selling printed rain boots and country-style footwear to fashion-conscious consumers, directly overlapping Roma's women's fashion rain boot positioning.
• TOMS: Original buy-one-give-one fashion footwear brand founded by Blake Mycoskie — the direct inspiration for Roma Boots and the closest comparable business model (social mission + fashion footwear).
• Hunter Boots: Iconic British rain boot brand and the dominant player in the fashion Wellington category where Roma competes, with much broader scale, retail presence, and brand recognition.

Emerging players

• Sseko Designs: Social-enterprise fashion brand employing and educating women in Uganda — comparable mission-driven, founder-led, mid-sized direct-to-consumer fashion business model.
• Nisolo: Direct-to-consumer sustainable footwear brand with social mission positioning and similar price points, overlapping with Roma's eco-friendly and ethical consumer segment.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Sustainability-positioned apparel and footwear brand with deep mission credibility and established wholesale/DTC channels — sets the bar for what mission-aligned brands can achieve at scale.
• Muck Boot Company: Established waterproof boot brand with broader outdoor/work positioning and significant retail distribution, overlapping with Roma's functional all-weather boot use cases.
• Sperry: Iconic footwear brand (now part of Wolverine Worldwide) selling through similar department store and wholesale channels as Roma, representing the kind of scaled wholesale competitor Roma faces for shelf space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/roma_boots
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RomaBoots?feature=mhee
• Facebookfacebook.com/romaboots
• Instagraminstagram.com/romaboots
• Pinterestpinterest.com/romaboots
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2726394

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Roma Boots