Vegtus, the vegan 'sneakers' that want to lead the shift towards sustainable fashion

Is there room in the market to create a new brand of sports shoes? Yes, if it is done by seeking differentiation and responding to an emerging segment of consumers who opt for conscious fashion, that is, for brands that are radically sustainable and that prioritize social and environmental responsibility throughout the design and production process. This is according to entrepreneur Cristina Sabadell, founder of Vegtus, a vegan, ecological, cruelty-free and sustainable footwear brand that uses a surprising material called cactus leather as its raw material.

After a career as a manager in multinational companies and in the world of fashion and footwear ---she worked for more than fifteen years for the French footwear brand Mephisto---, Sabadell decided to undertake and create Vegtus after the confinement, a period of pause that made her "become aware of the responsibility we have with the planet." "The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of humanity's carbon emissions, so I thought I should work on a brand whose mission was to be a benchmark in the vegan, ecological and sustainable fashion sector," explains the founder of Vegtus to The New Barcelona Post.

According to Sabadell, the key was "to differentiate oneself" and, for this, she began a search process until she found an innovative material to manufacture her vegan sneakers: cactus leather obtained from nopal, a fleshy plant also known as prickly pear. "The production process of cactus leather ---explains the entrepreneur--- is simple, natural and sustainable. Only the mature leaves are cut without damaging the cactus. The leaves are left to dry in the sun for three days until they reach the necessary humidity, avoiding the use of additional energy in the drying process. Finally, the organic raw material is processed to become part of the innovative material." "Producing a pair of Vegtus requires one liter of water, compared to 8,000 liters for animal leather sneakers", she assures.

With this business idea, Vegtus ---a word derived from the union of vegan and cactus--- was established in Barcelona in June 2020 and the first collection was launched in 2021. Currently, the brand markets a wide range of products, including sneakers and sandals, with about 24 models. "Sneakers are an essential, a must-have in any wardrobe today! It's versatile, comfortable, and very fashionable footwear. At Vegtus, we believe that the casual style of a sneaker is not at odds with attractive, sustainable, and ethical fashion, and that's why we offer one of the widest ranges of products, from sneakers to sandals."

According to Sabadell, purchasing items from brands like Vegtus allows "contributing with small gestures to make a better planet." "We know that making conscious fashion is possible; we would like to lead the change, to be a benchmark for sustainable fashion," she emphasizes, encouraged, just days after receiving significant financial support from the public company Avançsa.

At Vegtus, we believe that the casual style of a sneaker is not at odds with attractive, sustainable, and ethical fashion

"With the support of Avançsa, Vegtus plans to boost its business project of innovation in the vegan and sustainable fashion and footwear sector, obtaining resources for R&D, to increase production and to create jobs, especially in the marketing and commercial strategy area, to build the brand and position itself," explain sources from the Generalitat's public company.

Vegtus, which had previously received support from Enisa, has "ambitious" revenue growth forecasts, according to Cristina Sabadell, based on the opening of new markets. "This year we expect to end with sales of one million euros, and the goal is to reach three million in 2024 and five million in 2025," anticipates the businesswoman.

The brand is sold both online and in physical stores, meaning it has opted from the beginning for a dual business model, selling to the final consumer (B2C) and also to distributing companies (B2B) to scale the business and position itself in more points of sale. The online store is already operational in Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, and Portugal, and is now in the launch phase in new markets such as Greece, Italy, Sweden, and Denmark. In parallel, the offline channel has been developed with entry into points of sale located in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, and Turkey.

"Currently, we are established in Europe and in full expansion phase to the United States and Latin America, but we have received many inquiries from other continents; we will go step by step," says Sabadell.

Along these lines, Avançsa emphasizes that "the speed with which Vegtus has penetrated the market, despite its youth, is due both to the product's connection with the values of its consumers, and to its strategy in defining the business model."