What RE49 does

RE49 is a privately held Italian footwear company (RE49 S.r.l.) headquartered in Gonars, in the Friuli region, that designs and sells vegan sneakers made primarily from recycled sailcloth. The company is the fourth-generation continuation of a shoemaking business founded in 1949 by Valentino Masolini; it was rebranded as RE49 in 2019 to formalize a shift from leather footwear to a circular-economy model built on Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce principles. The current generation is led by CEO & Founder Nicola Masolini.

The company's core product is the RE49 Wave sneaker, which combines uppers made from carefully selected recycled sails with Apple Skin detailing (a material derived from apple peels, cores, and seeds — by-products of apple processing), interiors in regenerated fibers, and soles made from natural rubber and recycled materials. Production is handcrafted in Italy with a minimal-glue, minimal-waste assembly process. The Wave is offered in two detail families (Light Gray Suede and White Apple Skin) across roughly seven colorways, with double-lace options.

RE49 operates a direct-to-consumer business model, selling exclusively through its own e-commerce storefronts (shop.re49.it and outlet.re49.it) and using Kickstarter as a campaign-based launch and demand-generation channel. It targets eco-conscious consumers seeking cruelty-free, sustainably sourced footwear and generates revenue solely from one-time sneaker sales — with no subscription, wholesale, or B2B revenue streams disclosed. The company employs 1–10 people and has no external institutional investors, patents, awards, or partnership relationships documented in the available data.

Name

RE49

Legal name

RE49 S.r.l.

Website

https://re49.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RE49 is an Italian family-owned sustainable footwear brand that designs and sells vegan sneakers made from recycled sailcloth and Apple Skin, targeting eco-conscious consumers through direct-to-consumer e-commerce and Kickstarter.

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
• Vegan sneakers
• Recycled sailcloth shoes
• Eco-friendly shoes
• Handcrafted sneakers

Headquarters

HQ city

Gonars

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Footwear Sales: One-time sale of sustainable sneakers through direct e-commerce. Single product transaction model with no recurring revenue component. Customers purchase completed shoes in various color options (Light Gray Suede details, White Apple Skin details) with dual lace options.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

RE49 designs and manufactures sustainable vegan sneakers, primarily the Wave collection, made from recycled sailcloth uppers, Apple Skin details (derived from apple processing by-products), regenerated fiber interiors, and natural rubber/recycled material soles. The brand sells directly to consumers through its own e-commerce storefronts, targeting eco-conscious individuals seeking cruelty-free footwear with unique character from original sailcloth materials.

Product overview

RE49 is a family-run sustainable footwear brand founded in 1949, transforming recycled materials into eco-friendly sneakers. The core product is the RE49 Wave sneaker, made from recycled sails and featuring Apple Skin details. The company operates two sales channels: the main store (re49.it) and an outlet (outlet.re49.it).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RE49 Wave Sneaker Sustainable vegan sneaker crafted from recycled sailcloth uppers, Apple Skin details (made from apple processing by-products), breathable regenerated fiber interiors, and natural rubber/recycled material soles. Features wave-inspired sole design and double lace options. Targeted at eco-conscious consumers seeking cruelty-free footwear with unique character.
• RE49 Wave Light Gray Suede Collection Wave sneaker variant featuring light gray suede detailing, available in PINK, BLUE, RED, and MUSTARD color options. Part of the Wave sneaker collection.
• RE49 Wave White Apple Skin Collection Wave sneaker variant featuring white Apple Skin detailing (innovative material from apple peels, cores, and seeds), available in BLUE, GREY, and RED color options. Highlights the circular economy use of agricultural by-products.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Sostenibilitystyling (Italian artisanal sustainable brands): Italian sustainable fashion editorial platform that aggregates and profiles eco-conscious Italian brands including RE49. Relevant ecosystem participant that amplifies RE49's visibility to the Italian eco-fashion audience.

Direct peers

• Veja: French sustainable sneaker brand using recycled and organic materials (recycled plastic, organic cotton, wild rubber). Direct comparable to RE49 on sustainable sneaker positioning, DTC model, and premium price point, though at much larger scale.
• Thousand Fell: US sustainable sneaker brand focused on circularity and recyclable footwear with a take-back program. Highly comparable to RE49 on circular-economy narrative, recycled-material sneakers, and DTC GTM.
• Cariuma: Brazilian-origin sustainable sneaker brand using natural rubber, bamboo, and recycled materials. Closely comparable to RE49 on sustainable casual sneaker positioning, ethical sourcing story, and DTC-led distribution.
• Allbirds: Public US sustainable footwear brand (wool, sugar cane, recycled materials) selling DTC and through wholesale. Direct peer on sustainable casual sneaker proposition, materials innovation narrative, and global e-commerce GTM.
• Nothing New: US sustainable sneaker brand making shoes from recycled plastic bottles and other reclaimed materials. Direct comparable to RE49 on recycled-material casual sneaker proposition and direct-to-consumer model.

Broad incumbents

• TOMS: Established mission-driven footwear brand with a one-for-one giving model. Comparable to RE49 on ethical-fashion positioning and casual sneaker product, though TOMS' social-impact model differs from RE49's circular-economy model.
• Nike (Move to Zero / Space Hippie line): Global athletic footwear incumbent with recycled-material sneaker lines (Space Hippie, Crater Foam). Competes in the broader recycled-material sneaker category but as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Adidas (Parley / Made with Recycled Materials line): Global athletic footwear incumbent with major sustainable sneaker lines (Parley ocean plastic, Futurecraft Loop). Overlaps with RE49 on recycled-material footwear and circular-economy positioning but at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Saola Shoes: Small sustainable footwear brand using recycled PET, cork, and natural rubber for casual sneakers. Comparable emerging player in the recycled-material sneaker niche with a similar small-scale, mission-driven positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/re49.it
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/re49

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 RE49