Over the course of a year, Vega designed pieces that could withstand the rigors of being outdoors — whether that’s a hiking trail or a city street — but also look good. He credits his fiancée, Yuri Rodriguez, another footwear veteran with experience at Merrell, Saucony and Hush Puppies, with pushing the line to be sustainable. He also brought Erin Sander, a one-time global product director for Sorel, on board as vice president of merchandising.
In addition, he didn’t want to be what he described as “an Instagram brand,” or one that sought to establish itself through social media channels. Instead, he wanted to be “a real brand” and sell in real stores.and has since added Macy’s, REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Public Lands and other large retailers, with walmart.com coming on board for spring., said Holo “makes great looking, environmentally conscious footwear at an accessible price point.
In addition, he will launch his first running shoe, the Nephelae, that will be sold both on the brand’s new e-commerce site as well as at Nordstrom. He said that although the shoe can be used to run a marathon, it is more positioned for running to the grocery store. “You hear ‘running shoe’ and you automatically think the running wall at REI. But this will be on the lifestyle wall. Run for us is not a six-minute mile, but running your everyday life,” he said.