VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Vessi, a footwear and lifestyle brand beloved for its totally waterproof shoes, has welcomed two notable members, Jennifer Olsen and Eric Patel, to its board of advisors. In addition, the brand announced the expansion of its retail offerings and is on track to have four owned retail locations by the end of 2024. Vessi has been making big waves in the community since its entrance into the market in 2018 and is a brand to put on the watch list.
Footwear and lifestyle brand Vessi has been shaking things up in the community since its entrance into the market in 2018. Launching the world's first waterproof knit sneaker, Vessi has been on a mission to redefine what everyday waterproof feels and looks like, with its proprietary material Dyma-Tex, it's transforming how people experience wet weather with comfort. Vessi began its journey as a self-funded D2C brand, and in 2022 ventured into the world of retail with its first store opening in Metrotown, Vancouver, BC. The brand's birthplace was the perfect location to begin this new chapter in its business journey. Vessi is on track to have four retail locations by the end of 2024 (three are permanent and one pop-up location in the Toronto Eaton Centre). These locations are expected to generate 10-15% of revenue this year. The expansion of this bootstrapped business has allowed Vessi to scale to the 9-digit revenue range within 7 years.
Vessi has also welcomed two notable members to its board of advisors, Jennifer Olsen and Eric Patel. Ms. Olsen joins Vessi with 25+ years of experience at some of the world's greatest brands. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at multi-billion-dollar footwear conglomerate Caleres. She was previously the CMO at Crate & Barrel and UNTUCKit and serves as a Board Member at Fair Harbor. Mr. Patel brings 30 years of business experience from Fortune 500 conglomerates to start-ups in the US, Europe, and Canada. Mr. Patel has served as Board Chair at billion-dollar companies including Daiya and Galvanize. Mr. Patel's experience spans the retail, consumer products, food, and banking industries.
"I'm proud of our team and our accomplishments in the past seven years. It's exhilarating for us to work on evolving our business from a 100% e-commerce business to an omni-channel one in the last two years. We listened to our customers and understood they would like more physical access to try our products. Therefore, we've formed a plan to show up where our customers are and in key wet-weather cities through a mix of e-commerce, retail, and wholesale. It's been incredibly exciting to see our customers' reactions when they put on a pair of Vessis and we ask them to submerge their feet in water. Their eyes light up in disbelief because they didn't think it was possible for something so comfortable to be waterproof! We believe this approach will best serve our customers and their discovery and shopping preferences. We have been actively exploring key US cities for retail expansion in 2025 and we're excited for what's to come." - Andy Wang, CEO, Vessi Footwear Ltd
About Vessi Footwear Ltd.
Vessi Footwear Ltd. was founded in Vancouver, BC in 2018. We had one goal in mind – to inspire happiness in the rain by redefining the way people experience wet weather. Vessi has become the go-to brand for waterproof comfort. Today, Vessi continues to create products that enable you to turn rainy days into opportunities to do more in comfort and style.
SOURCE Vessi
Media Contact: Kristina Mikhalkova, Senior Partnerships Manager, 289-808-4583, [email protected]
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