The bootstrapped company was founded by Pune-based Satyajit Mittal and Krutika Lal to address the problem of children’s footwear becoming unsuitable, uncomfortable and even detrimental for the health of children as they grow. (Photo: Instagram)On the website of children’s footwear company Aretto, there are attractive shoes of different colours under the names such as Space Surfer Red, Firefighter, Submariner, and Candy Floss. While these are appealing to children, what is drawing their parents to Aretto is that the shoe size increases as the child grows up to three times, making the company the only one in the market with the know-how.
This company has been awarded a ‘Utility Patent’ for its sole technology that allows the shoes to expand up to three sizes to accommodate the growing feet of its wearers. Aretto is one of the first in this segment in the world to reach this milestone, allowing it to carve a niche in the country’s footwear market valued at $ 13.49 billion in 2021. Aretto has also filed for ‘Utility Patent’ for its sole technology in more than 20 countries, including the UK, USA, and Japan.
The technologies in Aretto shoes are ‘Supergrooves’ that are sensitive to a millimetre of a child’s growing feet; ‘Squishy Foam’ which is the company’s version of memory foam for comfort; and a durable ‘InfiKnit’, which is a knit fabric that can stretch in different directions. Together, these ensure that the sole and the uppers expand up to three sizes as well as retain the form of the user’s feet.
The bootstrapped company was founded by Pune-based Satyajit Mittal and Krutika Lal to address the problem of children’s footwear becoming unsuitable, uncomfortable and even detrimental for the health of children as they grow. “When we started going deeper into studying the market, we realised that most big brands were built to make shoes for athletes. The common man started buying these products for themselves and then, eventually, for children. The shoe size was just shrunk down for kids. The truth is that children’s feet are different and their anatomy is different. So the needs for footwear are very different. One in three children is wearing the wrong shoe size at most times in their journey while they are growing up,” says Mittal, the CEO.
At Aretto, the makers focus on shoes that would have quality at an affordable price, be sustainable and driven by technology. The research started in 2020 and it took two years in building and testing shoes. The process has been documented in a 300-page book that is internally circulated at Aretto. The shoes are manufactured by one of the largest Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the country that caters to all international brands. Since September 2022, when the shoes were launched, the company has sold more than 5,000 units and earned revenue of more than Rs 60 lakh.
India’s footwear market is predicted to grow by 8.5 per cent by 2025. Aretto is aiming for a large share of this market. “Once a shoe is experienced by kids, they’ll love it because of its design. That is an important aspect of growing this Made-In-India product into a multinational brand. That’s the vision. And we are here to build this on a 20-year horizon,” says Mittal.
An impediment is that Aretto shoes are available only online. Footwear for children, more than apparel, is generally purchased after physical trials. “We are working towards having an offline presence. This year, we have done a few pop-ups, engaged with more than 10,000 people on the ground, and found the trial-to-conversion rate to be 50 per cent on the ground,” says Mittal.