Sneaker brand Psudo is relying on a domestic manufacturing model to produce a new collection of shoes. Founded in 2020 by Michael Rich and his wife Kortney, the company is based in California and has already completed a $3 million seed funding round.
At the manufacturing level, rather than recreating the structure and composition of a typical sneaker produced in Asia, Rich looked for locally available alternatives.
One learns that the company’s shoes are made using yarn made from recycled water bottles. Each pair of sneakers is composed of 75% recycled material and 7.2 plastic bottles. The main component would be a 3D printed upper — one piece of fabric that includes printed laces and other designs.
“We have one singular fabric to make up the entire sneaker,” Rich told our media colleagues from Footwearnews.com, explaining how this construction eliminates the shoe waste that comes as a byproduct of connecting multiple fabrics. “That part from a sustainability standpoint is fantastic.”
While soles are often 3D printed, Psudo decided to utilize more recycled materials from scrap foam via a partnership with startup Blumaka. The ultimate goal being to produce a sneaker that will be made from close to 90% recycled content.
Whether it is the U.S. or in Europe, manufacturing tends to be more expensive due to higher labor and materials costs. By making the shoes locally, Psudo is following the path of other footwear brands such as Hilos that have decided to avoid packaging waste and carbon emissions that can result from shipping products overseas.
Not to mention that local manufacturing allows for a better control of production phases and shorter production times. This means for instance that, instead of planning for inventory 12 to 18 months in advance, Psudo operates on a nine-month advance in the design process. The company can also react more quickly to create styles to meet demand as it happens.
“Even though the costs are higher, it’s offset by not having to make too much,” Rich said.
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