How sneaker brand Komrads was confronted with the “sustainability paradox”

After a flying start with enthusiastic investors and customers in more than eleven countries, the sustainable success story of sneaker brand Komrads came to an end this year. “The narrative around sustainability has changed,” says co-founder Mark Vandevelde, who will be speaking at RetailDetail Night.

Started with a bang

Komrads was founded in 2015 by Vandevelde and his wife Greet Goegebuer with the ambition of making the most sustainable sneaker in the world. The brand got off to a flying start: “It seemed as if the whole of Europe was waiting for a sneaker made from apple leather: we were soon selling in more than eleven countries. We weathered the coronavirus period fairly well, even though people bought fewer shoes during that time, but the ‘roaring twenties’ that many experts predicted afterwards unfortunately did not materialize. Instead, we got the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and inflation.”

Komrads was confronted with a shift in thinking about sustainability. According to a 2018 study, people were still willing to pay up to 50% more for sustainable sneakers. That fell back to 0% in 2024. “We had already lowered our prices, but our margins also disappeared, so it came to an end. My wife and I had been passionate about this for ten years, but it was unsustainable, even though we received a lot of support. The impact was significant, both emotionally and financially.”

“Prosperity now takes precedence over well-being”

Initially, Komrads managed to raise around 1.5 million euros in capital, including through crowdfunding, convertible loans and venture capital. A few business angels also got involved, as did the circular investment company Trividend. But in the next round of capital raising in 2024, when Komrads wanted to make a fresh start with a new collection for the higher segment, investors pulled out.

What lessons can be learned from this? “The term sustainability is a paradox: plastic lasts a long time, but it is not sustainable. In politics and the media, the narrative is changing: the Green Deal is being watered down. The climate marches received a lot of attention before COVID-19, but when Klimaatzaak won its case in court in 2023, there was hardly any press coverage. Prosperity now takes precedence over well-being.”

“I remain an ecopreneur”

Nevertheless, Vandevelde believes that there is still potential for sustainable stories today: “Extended producer responsibility is coming. Many brands and retailers are not ready for this at all. You can bury your head in the sand, but one day we will be confronted with that mountain of waste, one day we will be presented with the bill for all the raw materials we extract from the planet. In a hundred years’ time, people will look back and wonder what actually inspired people in the 2020s. Were they really that stupid back then?”

The entrepreneur is not giving up: “I am and will remain an ‘ecopreneur’. We remain 100% convinced that we do not want to leave this world to our children. We have changed our lifestyle, we have become more conscious, we travel by train… But do we have to be holier than the Pope? What about our jobs? Are we returning to the corporate world?” Vandevelde has just completed an assignment as a marketing consultant at INNO. “Now I’m looking forward to opportunities. I think there is still a lot of potential in the fashion world; the industry is so polluting and there are no real structural solutions yet.”

“Inspiring failures”

At RetailDetail Night, on November 20 in Antwerp, Mark Vandevelde will share the lessons he has learned in the preliminary program “Failing Forward,” where retailers talk about their “inspiring failures.” The participants will engage in open discussions with moderator Stefan Van Rompaey, with colleagues, and with you, the audience. Also on stage: Pascale Switten on the relaunch and demise of outlet store Cameleon, Stijn Martens on the journey of the first Flemish online supermarket, Hopr, and Alain Hellebaut with lessons from his thirty years of experience as a retail manager, including the relaunch of Maxi Toys.

Click on the button below for the full program of RetailDetail Night and to reserve your ticket.