Fernando Rojo
founder
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What problem does your solution solve?
We're live on Kickstarter! Head to bit.ly/PATOS-KS to back us now.
Every pair of shoes we sell helps provide fair, safe jobs for artisans in Latin America's emerging communities. That means no two pairs are exactly alike.
What’s the market potential for your solution?
At a currently estimated $208bn, the footwear market is expected to grow to $258bn by 2023. Purchases made on mobile phones and tablets is growing at a whopping 48% YoY. Meanwhile, 75% of millennials would rather shop from a brand with an inherent social mission.
There's no better time for an E-Commerce fashion brand.
Who are your customers?
Our shoes are made for the young and adventurous. The combination of modern, trendy shoe styles with traditional, cultural patterns aren't for those who like boring clothes. We're here for the travelers – for those who want to experience the world outside of their bedrooms.
How will you reach your customers?
We're currently taking pre-orders on wearpatos.com and are launching a Kickstarter in August 2017.
How will you make money?
Thanks to our sales mainly coming from online transactions, we're able to avoid typical retail markups, keep a greater percentage of the revenue from each sale, and sell at a lower cost.
We have a reasonable markup on every pair of shoes that achieves three things: pays our artisans wonderfully, makes our customers ecstatic, and keeps our lights on and shining bright(ly).
What kind of partners will you need to make, support and distribute your solution?
We've partnered with about 23 suppliers across multiple Latin American countries to create an efficient supply chain. In order to manage this, our artisans use (in beta) the Android app that our tech partners are building to make our operation as smooth as butter.
We're looking for fulfillment partners to help ship our products and for affiliate marketing opportunities.
What will your expenses include?
Our expenses include our web hosting costs, such as Shopify and a number of apps that help us both sell efficiently and provide an unreal user experience. We also spend on developing products, from design to stocking and housing inventory. Which then leads to spending on marketing; gotta spend money to make more!
Who is your competition and how do you differ?
Our competition includes TOMS, Soludos, Inkkas, and more. We're in a swamped market of shoe brands who are all making shoes in the same way delivering boxes, and letting their customers do the rest. Our younger approach of involving our customers in the selection process of our products, using Facebook messenger rather than email, and focusing on minimalist design first, sets us apart from our main competitors.
Most importantly, buying our shoes is providing economic opportunity for individuals in developing communities in Latin America. We're not donating; we're building.
Meet the Team
