Satyajit founded a revolutionary footwear brand popularly known as Aretto. With his footwear startup, he made significant strides in the footwear industry. He designed innovative shoes that expand in size as children grow. This innovative footwear not only eliminates the need for frequent shoe purchases but also ensures children are always wearing comfortable and proper-fitting footwear.
Satyajit Mittal from Pune graduated from the MIT Institute of Design (Industrial and Product Designing).
Identifying the Gap
He recognized a common problem among parents where they frequently buy shoes due to rapid size changes in their child’s feet. Most parents also make their children wear shoes that are either too tight or too loose. Many parents tend to buy larger-sized shoes for their children with the hope that they will grow into them, but they remain unaware of the risk that may lead to foot deities.
Satyajit noticed that Indian footwear companies don’t offer enough children’s shoes even though India is the second largest shoe producer in the world. There is a huge gap in the shoe industry where the user wants something else and the brands supply something else.
Time to Take the Decision: Make Shoes that Grow-Aretto
After addressing this issue, Satyajit decided to make shoes that expand as the child grows. After researching the anatomy of children’s feet and speaking to numerous podiatrists.
After researching for two years Satyajit successfully created a shoe that expands as a child grows. Then, in 2022, with his childhood friend Krutika Lal, he co-founded Aretto, a tech-led footwear startup that stretches up to three sizes.
Making children wear unfitting shoes is a universal phenomenon. According to Satyajit, children do not wear the right-sized shoes for the first years of their life. The kid’s foot size changes every 3 months, starting the day they are born and their foot size stops increasing at the age of 13.
Now, the problem is that shoes do not grow with the growing kids.
But Satyajit’s Aretto shoes have advanced technology which includes Supergrooves in the sole that help the shoe adjust to the child’s growing feet. That is interesting!
The Aretto shoes cost between Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,600. The shoe has gained immense popularity and earns monthly more than Rs 20 lakh with sold over 6,0000 pairs in nine months.
By offering a range of stylish footwear, Aretto aims to ensure that children wear comfortable and properly fitting shoes.
The Unique 3D Knit Technology and the Blooming Inspiration
They started marketing Aretto shoes that feature a patented 3D knit technology. These shoes are designed to be highly stretchable, flexible in all directions, and breathable. One of the unique features of this shoe is that it can adapt in size and stretches up to three sizes.
The company aims to provide right-fit kid shoes for all cycles. Thus, they make shoes that can cover up to 3 sizes allowing 18 mm growth as the kid’s foot size increases.
The founders’ inspiration is a flower in bloom as it reaches the fully flowered stage from the bud. This scenario happens naturally every day. Thus, they tried to apply the same logic to the shoes.
Awards and Achievements
Aretto received a utility patent in India. Additionally, won two awards at the Global Footwear Awards 2022.
Every month Satyajit’s Aretto shoe revenue increases from the previous month. The business is experiencing growth at an impressive rate of 80% month-on-month. Mostly his customers are from Delhi, the UK, the US, Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru.
Since Satyajit was one of these children who faced the same problem while growing up, he understands the struggle of finding comfortable and practical footwear for growing kids; which is why he focuses on designing such unique shoes that expand as the child grows.
Before establishing Aretto, Satyajit gained experience at multiple companies like Whirlpool and Globant.
