Lucy Beard
Feetz uses 3-D printing technology to make custom fit shoes.Feetz, the first company to use 3-D printing technology to make custom fit shoes, announced today that it has entered into a partnership with leading footwear retailer DSW Inc. to sell Feetz shoes through DSW's considerable retail footprint and customer base.
"The Feetz model will allow our customers to purchase true custom fit shoes at a fraction of what traditional bespoke shoes cost," said Simon Nankervis, chief commercial officer of DSW. "We believe that giving customers the ability to purchase on-demand, affordable, custom fit shoes has the potential to disrupt the footwear market as we know it today."
As part of this relationship, DSW Inc. led another round of funding for Feetz along with the company's existing investors Khosla Ventures, based in Silicon Valley, and the Chattanooga-based Jump Fund.
Feetz, which was founded by Lucy Beard, is one of Chattanooga's most successful business startups backed by local investors and nurtured among local startups. The company recently relocated to California and has a manufacturing site in San Diego.
"Our new 3D printing manufacturing facility in San Diego, the first of its kind, will fulfill thousands of orders per month," Beard said. "DSW's impressive reach and customer centricity makes them the perfect partner for Feetz."
Under the agreement with DSW, Erin Kelly, senior director of innovation at DSW, Inc will join Uli Becker, previously CEO of Reebok, and Vijit Sabnis of Khosla Ventures on the Feetz board.
DSW operates 481 stores in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and operates an e-commerce site, http://www.dsw.com, and a mobile website http://m.dsw.com. DSW also supplies footwear to 385 locations in the United States under the Affiliated Business Group.