Innovative Vancouver-based footwear firm, Casca, runs on a zero-waste, functional mass customization business model.

You may question how something that allows for mass customization can also be zero waste, but Casca has managed to achieve this through a meticulous supplier selection process combined with an insightful use of 3D-printing technology.

WHY DO WE NEED A ZERO-WASTE SOLUTION?

The fashion industry has long been known to be one of the heaviest polluting industries in the world, generating 10% of the world’s carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, and pollutes the ocean with microplastics.

With the increasing dominance of fast fashion brands, fashion textiles related waste production is an ever-growing problem. Clothing production has almost doubled since 2000, and to satisfy consumer needs to pump out more clothing, runway brands are now producing 5 collections per year versus 2, and fast-fashion brands such as H&M and Zara produce 16 and 24 collections per year, respectively.

While thread takes between 3 to 4 months to decompose and cotton takes between 1 to 5 months, the materials that make up the majority of most footwear take between 20 to 40 YEARS to decompose in a landfill, making shoes some of the most wasteful accessories in the fashion industry.

HOW CASCA MAKES THEIR PRODUCTS SUSTAINABLE

Needless to say, it is important for up and coming fashion and retail brands to consider their responsibility to the planet and its inhabitants, and Casca takes sustainability very seriously, choosing suppliers who also maintain a zero-waste production and/or manufacturing process (70% of all waste in the shoe industry is produced during manufacturing).

MAKING A SUSTAINABLE DAILY SHOE

The goal is to have the shoe last several years and to close the loop with material and product wastage, so how does Casca achieve this?

Casca’s leather supplier, PRIMEASIA, ranks in the Top 20 of the 650 LWG (Leather Working Group) approved leather factories in the world. PRIMEASIA has an LWG Gold Rating with over 90% traceability on its goods; their sub-suppliers also have this accreditation. In addition to an industry-recognized rating, PRIMEASIA also reuses 79% of their water waste and sends the rest to an external water treatment facility for cleaning instead of disposal, creating a zero-waste process.

Other sustainable practices they have implemented include replacing steaming with patented low-energy infrared tech, air-drying instead of heating, only using water-based solvents and pigments, dehydrating sludge waste and sending it off to be turned into biofuel, and sourcing leather from humanely-treated beef cows, using an otherwise wasted part of the animal.

In addition to ensuring their suppliers meet rigorous selection standards, the team also has a zero waste process for the production of their trademarked FootB3D™. Each pair is custom made with no trimming or warehoused stock in the brand’s Design Studio in Mount Pleasant, Vancouver, leveraging the company’s propriety software and FFF 3D-printing technology.

We had the pleasure of having a conversation with Co-Founders Kevin Reid and Braden Parker to find out more about the brand’s story for a deeper understanding of the business strategy and story behind the brand.

P: Pendulum Magazine

B: Braden Parker

K: Kevin Reid

P: Could you tell us a bit about yourselves? How did you two meet and what inspired you to come together and launch your own startup?

B:​ I grew up in an entrepreneurial family and was always trying to start a business on the side. After graduating from Business School at UBC, I worked with a real estate investment company to resurrect heritage buildings, creating dynamic new spaces for emerging businesses. While I was there, I honed my entrepreneurial skills developing an online storage and parking company, and after becoming vegan, I created a cricket-based pasta company. One of my personal favourite ideas was a few months before Casca, I approached Kevin to develop a luxury toothbrush company. He didn’t bite, but when Kevin came to me with the idea to reinvent the everyday shoe, I was really inspired by the opportunity, and it wasn’t long after that we were applying for 10-year visas to China to start development.

K:​ Before Casca, I spent 10 years in the fashion and apparel industry, designing for Native Shoes, Norse Projects, and Livestock. Working with these companies, and having the opportunity to collaborate with brands like Adidas and New Balance, really opened my eyes to the possibilities and also the limitations of the traditional framework. Prior to this, I studied Industrial Design, and was fascinated by evolutionary products, bridging successful products with modern technology, and focused my thesis project on customizable 3D-printed footwear. Even further back, playing soccer as a kid, I was obsessed with my soccer boots and shoes in general, so I guess you could say I’ve been thinking about Casca a long time! Casca resulted from a need for more versatile shoes and clear shortcomings in the industry’s approach to footwear. The idea was simple, we wanted to rethink everyday footwear to be uncompromising, and help people live limitlessly. Both Braden and I were active professionals that were constantly on our feet, moving through different environments and social settings – and after talking to our friends and interviewing over 100 professionals, we felt like we really had something brewing. The footwear industry is among the most wasteful in the world, and the solutions either compromise the user experience or miss the boat on truly addressing the issue. In creating Casca, we’ve strived to create a brand with substance; one that innovates and inspires people to think more critically about shoes, and beyond.

P: Entering the footwear market, you are competing against sportswear giants like Nike and luxury brands like Common Projects. When faced with such competition, many people are hesitant and afraid to start their own business. On your entrepreneurial journey, did you ever have the thought of giving up? How did you overcome the fear of failing? Who is your competition?

K: ​From a retail and design perspective, I was incredibly fortunate in prior experiences to see how brands, factories and the industry as a whole approaches everyday footwear. Sportswear giants and established luxury brands are so invested in the traditional manufacturing framework, it actually gives Casca an advantage as we’ve been thinking about this since day one. This definitely settles the mind. Leveraging technology and staying agile is ingrained in our vision, so we’re confident and determined to lead the industry into the future. We have a team of incredible, innovative, minds from an array of industries, and I think we all revel in this challenge. None of us would be here if we weren’t creating something new, meaningful and something that left the world a better place. And if we don’t fail sometimes, then we’re not trying hard enough.

B: ​From a market perspective, we saw three buckets that our peers and customers choose between daily, none of which truly reflect the intended use. There’s performance running shoes, made of lightweight materials that degrade quickly and are intended for shaving seconds off your lap time, not the rigours of daily life. Then you had classic lifestyle shoes that haven’t progressed in 50+ years, and have little consideration for support, cushioning or climate. Finally, there’s the luxury sneaker brands that use quality materials and timeless styling, but lack any technical expertise or consideration for the range of activities and demands in our on-the-go lifestyles. We saw a gap in the market, and we knew we could create smarter products that confront usability, sustainability, and aesthetics in one cohesive effort. Creating a shoe that brings the best of everything sounds expensive, but the tools available in today’s world means we can offer our product direct-to-consumer, so Casca can remain accessible while never compromising quality. Innovation is a key pillar for us, and something we feel hasn’t been realized in the direct-to-consumer marketplace. We feel we have the expertise to lead drive footwear into the future, and we have a pricing advantage. As we scale, that advantage will just mean better and better value for the consumer.

P: You have integrated design and functional elements to your products that are unique to Casca. Could you speak to what those elements are? Guide us through your product development process, from concept stage, product design, sourcing materials, to finished product.

K: ​The first thing we did was take a sharp turn away from the traditional development path. We had a silhouette in mind, but before putting pen to paper, we worked with an orthotic lab to truly understand the problem we’re trying to solve. We were hyper-focused on prolonged, all-day use and as we were analyzing products and learning about the critical mechanics of the foot, we quickly realized that your feet and shoes are the foundation for your entire body’s alignment. Even if you don’t have knee or back issues, being proactive and choosing adequate, supportive footwear is a smart decision. So support became a big pillar in our efforts to create the perfect everyday shoe. At Casca, we see the shoe as a system, so every component is designed cohesively, from the ground up. We engineered and altered the construction of traditional sneakers, to accommodate these thick, supportive inserts. And we researched proven methods across various categories (running, hiking, tennis, etc.) that address strain and stability, and worked these into the concepts. Eventually, our developments and testing led to LiftOS, Casca’s proprietary sole system, consisting of mountaineer-grade rubber traction combined with a semi-rigid exoskeleton that locks in the heel and manipulates the shoe to bend with your foot’s natural range of motion. This was the foundation for your feet, and for our Avro and Avro Knit sneakers. In the future, the technology can be extended to a variety of styles and silhouettes. At this point, we started to really refine the upper designs, creating two climate-specific models - Waterproof Leather or Breathable Knit. We don’t believe in fast fashion seasonality, so this felt appropriate in covering two clear needs from our customers. For our cold/wet weather model, we sourced top-grade U.S leathers, processed in an LWG Gold-Certified tannery that recycles over 75% of their water. And for our hot/dry weather model, we used Japanese knitting machines to create a durable, sock-like upper with virtually zero off-cuts or wasted material. The versatility of our shoes intends to remove the clutter in your closet, and replace it with one pair. And our product lifetime guarantee is a good indication of how hard we’ve worked to build a quality product. We aim to design responsibly, and the customer reviews have indicated that our hard work is paying off!

P: Technological advancements are revolutionizing the fashion industry, and you have used this to your advantage by designing a 3D printed patented insole – FootB3D™. Having already created a versatile sneaker collection, why did you feel that it was necessary to develop this insole, especially when more time, effort, and cost are required?

K: Orthotics is one of the most overlooked aspects of everyday footwear. The word itself, Orthotics, turns most people away. We’ve seen a trend in consumers, where there is an increasing awareness for what they put on their bodies, and they’re willing to do the research to find products that are healthier for themselves, and the planet. And when we learned how beneficial support can be for anyone, we wanted to normalize it. As an industrial designer, I’ve had an awareness of digital manufacturing since the early days of my studies. Processes like 3D-printing are the future of footwear and numerous other industries. The greatest advantage is that manufacturing can be decentralized, and we have the ability to create individual, unique parts. This means better products for humans and the planet. When we think about the perfect everyday shoe, it’s made for you and your unique requirements. Adding this capability and being the first-to-market with integrated shoe support bolstered our technical capabilities, and showed our customers that we’re innovating with purpose. It’s part of our long term vision and challenges the entire footwear industry, so it was well worth the investment.

P: What would you say was the most challenging part of the process? How did you overcome that?

B + K: The most challenging part was probably prior to our full-scale production. Our high standard for quality means we have to work with the world’s best factories, and naturally, these factories are in high demand. As a start-up, direct-to-consumer brand, our low quantities make it difficult to get in the door with manufacturers that typically work with brands like Prada, Adidas, and Vibram. We were extremely fortunate to have a respected development agency vouch for us, and we took the time to visit each factory, explain our philosophy and build long-lasting relationships. We feel very fortunate to work with our suppliers, and it was integral in us creating the product we wanted to promise customers.

P: Casca was able to raise venture funding from Khosla Ventures and joined by Tobias Lutke, the founder of Shopify. Could you let our readers know what the process was like and what are some tips to successfully obtain venture funding?

B:​ Despite graduating from business school, I felt like I didn’t really understand venture capital. It was a new world to me and I read all that I could, but ultimately the biggest help was taking a course by Brooke Harley. Brooke founded Campfire Capital, a Vancouver-based venture capital company that was focused on investing in direct-to-consumer brands. After Campfire, she started an amazing course called ”Class Rebel” which tells you all you need to know about venture capital and fundraising. From there it was really jumping in with both feet or Casca shoes in my case. I booked a trip across the US, slept on friend’s couches in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and took on every investor meeting I could. When fundraising, we wanted to find investors that could not only support us financially, but shared our values. In San Francisco, I met with Kristina Simmons, a partner from Khosla Ventures. Kristina had previously worked at Lululemon and aligned on our brand-building philosophy. Shortly after, I had a passionate debate with Vinod Khosla and we recognized the passion our two groups had for paradigm-shifting technology. It was a great fit. As for Tobi, he’s an inspiring Canadian entrepreneur; one that Kevin and I were always following. Tobi and the Shopify team built the e-commerce platform that enables Casca to run a business, so naturally, we loved the idea of getting him on board. No strings attached, we sent him a pair of Casca’s with a handwritten note just to say thanks and share our story. Next thing you know, he was loving the shoes and the conversation jumped to investment. It was sort of serendipitous, but it’s a huge honour to be backed by him.

P: Despite being U.S. funded, you chose to open your first brick-and-mortar here in Vancouver. Why is that?

K: ​Vancouver is where it all started. The combination of diverse urban and natural environments really shaped our needs and way of thinking. So much so, that we named the brand after Cascadia, this incredible bioregion along the west coast of North America. In addition, Vancouver is a hotbed for technology and technical apparel, so we have a wonderful community of collaborators and supporters that bring new ideas and opportunities every day. Opening our first brick-and-mortar here felt authentic. ‘Casca Lab’ houses our retail store, office and manufacturing space. Being able to engage directly with customers, and gathering feedback that can be immediately interpreted into our designs is really incredible. Besides launching your first store in Vancouver, how else does funding change the way your business operates and your short and long-term goals? Braden: ​Funding didn’t drastically change our direction or vision, it just accelerated it. Originally, there were two of us working out of a basement. We had a million ideas and knew we could execute them with the right resources. The funding allowed us to build an incredible team that continues to drive new and better ideas, focus on innovation, and create a first-class customer experience at the forefront of a shift in manufacturing. Since day one, we’ve been transparent and aligned with our investors around both our short-term and long-term goals, and they have been instrumental in helping us see them through.

We are always surprised and delighted by up-and-coming fashion forerunners who are reshaping the fashion and retail industry with their sustainable practices, working hard to ensure the company can deliver a product solution that is not just environmentally sound but also generates a profitable return for their investors.

The conversation with Kevin and Braden has inspired us to pay more attention to the extensive manufacturing processes behind each brand, and take note of how our support for sustainable brands could drive other fashion giants to rethink their business practices.