“The moment we actually met them and saw their pitches, we were like, ‘We don't have a shot, these guys are so incredible,’” said Elias Stahl, co-founder of sustainable fashion footwear brand Hilos.
But just two days later, in its first year attending South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Hilos won Best In Show and the Innovative World Technologies award at the festival’s pitch event three weeks ago.
The Portland-based 3D-printed shoe company makes several footwear designs out of 80% recycled materials that are 100% recyclable. All their shoes are also designed in three separately printed parts that fit together and can also be taken apart and repurposed.
In a room full of CEOs and companies with years of experience and millions in revenue, Stahl said he was honored to be part of the group, but never thought his young footwear startup would stand a chance at any awards. While he said he believes Hilos’ goals and purpose spoke to judges for themselves, Stahl also thinks the way he began his pitch and connected with the audience solidified it.
“I opened my pitch with comparing fashion to a fast food buffet, and I think that really stuck with a lot of people. Ultimately, there's a huge amount of waste at the end of the day, and you're subsidizing that waste with your purchase (of clothes), and we ended with really driving home that how we make things matters, and the kind of future we're trying to build, and I think that landed with a lot of people,” Stahl said.
Fresh off a David vs Goliath-esque win at SXSW, Stahl said Hilos is working with some big name companies on several new shoe designs to drop sometime this fall, including clog and sneaker styles. While he can’t reveal yet who Hilos is working with, he said they were “exclusive fashion brands.”
Last fall, Hilos collaborated with Helm, a Texas-based men’s boot brand, on a slip-up mule style shoe called Emmett. According to regulatory filings, Hilos raised $2 million in equity from about 21 investors, led by Better Ventures.
The money helped the revenue-generating company move its headquarters to 431 N.W. Flanders St. in Old Town, where a production floor helps Hilos craft its lines.
