Kids’ footwear brand Aretto was built to solve a problem the fashion industry had long ignored: children’s shoes were never designed around how kids’ feet actually grow.
In 2019, founder Satyajit Mittal noticed that kids’ shoes were becoming a real problem, not just for parents, but for the environment. Every six to seven months, children outgrow their shoes, and those shoes are either thrown away or left unused, eventually ending up as environmental waste.
He wanted to design a shoe a child could comfortably wear for at least a year and a half, growing along with their foot. He had always envisioned a sock-fitted kind of shoe for kids — something very different from what most big brands offer, which are essentially shrunk-down versions of adult shoes rather than designs built around a child’s actual foot.
That vision became Supergrooves, the brand’s patented expandable-sole technology, engineered around the natural movement and growth of young feet. With just one SKU, Aretto has scaled from zero to over 70 stores.
“The inspiration for how the shoe would grow came from watching a flower bud open — how it looks different in the first hour, then four hours later, then eight hours later, gradually unfolding. That’s what shaped the design of the sole. From there, the brand worked on an upper material that could also grow with the child’s foot,” says Sanjay Mittal, Director, Aretto.
From Concept to Scale
After three and a half years of development, Aretto soft-launched in August 2022, with sales beginning that December. In the roughly 34 months since, the brand has sold close to 400,000 shoes.
“Our shoes are manufactured in the same ecosystem that produces international brands, so the quality standards are high. We’ve had very few complaints, and we back every shoe with a one-year warranty. Essentially, for as long as the shoe fits the child’s foot, it’s covered for any manufacturing, stitching, or pasting defect,” says Mittal.
All design and innovation work happens in-house. The brand’s first patent came from India, covering both the design and the utility of how the shoe grows, expanding across up to three sizes.
Since then, Aretto has secured patents in Japan and the US, with applications underway in several other countries. “As we scale, we are on track to become a truly international brand, and we’ll be entering global markets very soon,” Mittal adds.
Retail Footprint and Distribution
Today, Aretto operates more than 70 retail outlets, with a presence in Hamleys, where the brand began its retail journey. Beyond that, it sells through its own website, online marketplaces, and quick commerce platforms. “We want to reach the customer at the exact moment they decide to buy a shoe for their kid,” says Mittal.
Roughly half of Aretto’s revenue currently comes from retail stores, with the rest split between its website, Amazon, and a growing institutional business through schools.
The brand is also eyeing a new audience: parents. “When a child comes to buy shoes, the parents come too,” Mittal notes, adding that Aretto is actively working on ways to capture and expand into that segment.
“Whatever we produce will always be tech-driven. There will be nothing ‘run of the mill’ — everything will be designed from first principles, solving a real problem. That is the basic construct of how we think about design,” Mittal says of the brand’s approach to innovation.
Aretto currently offers just one SKU — Supergrooves — available in ten colorways for children aged one to eight. The brand is now also looking to expand into the eight-to-twelve age group as its next product line.
Funding and Global Ambitions
Aretto has raised a total of approximately $5.27 million across five funding rounds, including a $550,000 (Rs 4.5 crore) seed round in August 2023. That round saw participation from cricketer Hardik Pandya, along with investors including Veromint Advisors, Abhineet Singh of VegNonVeg/Brewhouse, Shyam Raichura of Aan Group, and Raunak Munot.
The brand plans to raise further capital only when it expands outside the country. “Our first choice would be the UAE, for access to the GCC countries. Our second would be the US,” says Mittal.
Aretto is targeting 300 to 400 stores over the next two to three years with a focus on North and East India. “Our goal is to be everywhere, wherever kids are, wherever they’re looking for us,” says Mittal.
The brand has been doubling its revenue every year. Last year, it closed at around Rs 30 crore. Further financial projections were not disclosed.
Looking Ahead
“We are fundamentally a tech company. We started with shoes, but honestly, we haven’t yet decided what the next product will be,” Mittal says while adding, “When you’re operating in the tech space, the possibilities are limitless. So we’ll stay open to whatever opportunity comes our way, as long as it lets us solve a meaningful problem. That’s what excites us. Finally, we are making our own way; we’re not competing with anyone.”
